Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the principal causal agents of acute respiratory infection (ARI) in children, and its resistance to antibiotics has increased worldwide. This study examined the patterns of susceptibility to antibiotics of S. pneumoniae that had colonized the upper respiratory tract of 272 children hospitalized for pneumonia in two hospitals in Santa Fe, Bogota. S. pneumoniae was isolated from 114 patients (42 por cent). Diminished susceptibility to penicillin was noted in 19 isolates (17 por cent), with 12 (11 por cent) having an intermediate level of sensitivity and 7 (6 por cent) showing outright resistance. Only 1 of the 19 isolates resistant to penicillin also showed resistance to ceftriaxone. There was diminished sensitivity to erythromycin in 3 isolates (3 por cent), to chloramphenicol in 6 (5 pof cent), and to co-trimoxazole (trimethoprim + sulfamethoxazole) in 46 (40 por cent). Resistance to multiple drugs was found in 7 isolates (6 por cent). The most commonly encountered penicillin-resistant serotype was 23F (68,4 por cent). An association was observed between age, prior use of antibiotics, and colonization by S. pneumoniae with reduced penicillin sensitivity or multiple-drug resistance. This study confirmed the presence of antibiotic-resistant S. pneumoniae in Colombia and higlights the importance of the rational use of antibiotics and of the implementation of epidemiologic surveillance for this agent

Rev Panam Salud Publica;2(4),oct. 1997

Infecções Pneumocócicas; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Doenças Nasofaríngeas; Criança; Pneumonia Bacteriana; Resistência Microbiana a Medicamentos; Coleta de Dados; Colômbia

Leal, Aura Lucía,Castañeda, Elizabeth (1997) Antibiotic susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae colonizing the nasopharynx of Colombian children with pneumonia. Rev Panam Salud Publica;2(4) -,oct. 1997. Retrieved from http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1020-49891997001000005&lng=pt&nrm=iso