Multiple drug resistant staphylococci in hospital practice
Subramanyam, V.R.; Agarwal, D.S.
Indian Journal of Medical Research 76: 820-828
1982
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-5340 PMID: 7169237 Document Number: 191031
Of 7584 Staphylococcus aureus isolates, 95.72% were resistant to .gtoreq. 1 antibiotics; 92.75% of 2485 coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from various clinical material were similarly resistant to .gtoreq. 1 antibiotics. Antibiotics tested were penicillin [Pc], tetracycline [Tc], chloramphenicol [Cm], erythromycin [Em], streptomycin [Sm], kanamycin [Km], gentamicin [Gm], ampicillin [Ap] and cloxacillin [Cx]. Multiply resistant strains were encountered more frequently than singly resistant ones. Of the 53 strains examined for the stability of drug resistance determinants, 16 showed a spontaneous loss of .gtoreq. 1 markers; in 24 strains .gtoreq. 1 markers were eliminated by elevated temperature (44.degree. C); 21 strains lost resistance markers by growth in the presence of ethidium bromide. Combinations of markers were also lost, e.g., PcTc, TcCm, PcEmSmKm, PcKm, SmKm, SmTc, SmKmTc and EmTcSmKm.