[Surveillance of multidrug-resistant environmental bacteria]

The multidrug-resistance of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was surveyed. The multidrug-resistant S.epidermidis isolated accounted for 18% of the total S.epidermidis (1991.4 to 1992.3) and were frequently isolated from specimens of the urine and respiratory system. The polymerase chain reaction revealed the existence of the mec A gene in S.epidermidis showing various degree of antibiotic resistance, suggesting that S.epidermidis is in the process of achieving multidrug resistance. The multidrug-resistant P.aeruginosa were isolated from 14.6% of the total P.aeruginosa (1993.5 to 1993.8) and were most frequently isolated from the urine. Most of the multidrug resistant P.aeruginosa showed serotype E, suggesting the relationship between serotype and acquirement of drug resistance. Pulsefield electrophoresis of SpeI digested P.aeruginosa genomic DNA showed a characteristic pattern and the genome pattern should be applicable for the epidemiology.