Susceptibility patterns of clinical bacterial isolates in nineteen selected hospitals in Thailand

Susceptibility patterns of 3,115 clinical isolates obtained from blood, urine, sputum and pus in 19 hospitals located in each part of Thailand, were studied using ampicillin, ampicillin plus sulbactam, piperacillin, gentamicin, amikacin, cefazolin, cefuroxime, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, ofloxacin and imipenem. E.coli, S.aureus, P. aeruginosa, Klebsiella spp., Acinetobacter spp., Proteus spp. and Salmonella spp., were the seven most common isolates and accounted for 28.3, 15.3, 14.6, 14.5, 5.2, 3.3 and 3.3 per cent of total isolates respectively. Susceptibility percentages of common bacterial isolates from blood to third-generation cephalosporins, amikacin, ofloxacin and imipenem were satisfactory and higher than those of clinical isolates from other specimens. As expected, nosocomial strains were more resistant than community-acquired strains. Isolates from government hospitals were more resistant to gentamicin and amikacin but more susceptible to ampicillin compared with those from private hospitals. Susceptibility to imipenem among isolates from private hospitals was less but did not reach statistical significance.