Antimicrobial resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the United States, 1979-1987

Article Abstract:

Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) is a bacteria that normally inhabits the airway. It is one of the most common causes of pneumonia in adults and of middle ear infections (otitis media) in children. There are many different strains, or types, of S. pneumoniae. Over the last several decades some of these strains have become resistant to antibiotic drugs, which means that these strains are not killed when specific antibiotics are used to treat patients. This is referred to as drug resistance or antimicrobial resistance. In the United States alone, strains of S. pneumoniae that are resistant to tetracycline, erythromycin, penicillin, chloramphenicol and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim have been identified. To determine if the number of drug-resistant strains of S. pneumoniae has increased over the last decade, samples of S. pneumoniae submitted to the Centers for Disease Control between 1979 and 1987 were evaluated. The study included 5,459 samples of S. pneumoniae taken from patients at 35 different US hospitals. The samples were tested for drug resistance by growing them on culture plates containing different antibiotics. If the bacteria can grow on a culture plate that has been treated with an antibiotic drug, the bacteria is resistant to that particular drug. Five percent of the samples were resistant to penicillin or ampicillin, three percent were resistant to tetracycline, and less than one percent were resistant to erythromycin or sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. Two percent of the samples from 1979 were resistant to penicillin, eight percent from 1982 were resistant, and four percent from 1987 were resistant. Samples of S. pneumoniae that were obtained from patients in the southwestern United States were more likely to be resistant to penicillin. These findings indicate S. pneumoniae drug-resistance has remained at low levels over the past decade. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

United States, Drug resistance in microorganisms, Microbial drug resistance, Streptococcus pneumoniae

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Meningococcal disease in the United States - 1986

Article Abstract:

Meningococcal disease is an infectious illness that causes inflammation in the brain and spinal cord. It affects children and young adults, and causes symptoms of headache, vomiting, constipation, stiffness in the neck, and convulsions. It is caused by infection with the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis (N. meningitidis). Between 1986 and 1987, a survey was conducted to determine the prevalence (number of cases) of meningococcal disease in the United States. The survey included a total of 34 million people (14 percent of the US population) living in Los Angeles, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Washington. In 1986 there were 430 reported cases of meningococcal disease. This translates to a total of 3,100 cases in the entire US. The highest incidence (number of new cases) of disease occurred in Los Angeles, while Missouri had the lowest incidence of disease. N. meningitidis infection occurred most frequently in February and least frequently in September. Of all of the reported cases of meningococcal disease, 47 percent occurred in infants less than 2 years old. This infection did not show a preference for gender, but it was more common in blacks and Hispanics than in whites. It resulted in death in 14 percent of the cases. There are at least three different types of N. meningitidis: groups A, B and C. Types B and C were each responsible for half of the cases of disease; there were no cases of group A disease in the US during the study period. Compared with previous data, these results indicate that the incidence of N. meningitidis group C is increasing. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Demographic aspects, Meningococcal infections, Neisseria meningitidis

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