[Biovars and antibiotic resistance of enterobacter cloacae strains isolated from colonized newborns]

A total of 120 strains of E. cloacae were isolated from colonized newborns in a maternity hospital (96 strains) and from inpatients of other hospitals (23 strains). Biovars of these strains and of 1 reference strain were determined by two methods of biochemical typing and their sensitivity to 14 antibiotics assessed. The overwhelming majority of isolates from newborns were referred to type 2 according to typing after Old (original) or to biovar 62 if typed using the modification of this method. The phenotypical profile of determinants of resistance to 10 antibacterial drugs were the same, including those to aminoglycosides (except amikacin) and third-generation cephalosporins. The strains isolated from non-obstetrical inpatients belonged to biovars with phenotypical profiles of resistance to only 3 antibiotics and sensitive to aminoglycosides and third-generation cephalosporins.