Treating CAP caused by penicillin-resistant S pneumoniae.

Treating CAP caused by penicillin-resistant S pneumoniae.

File T M Jr

Journal of Respiratory Diseases

1999

1999-12

Over the last decade, the incidence of penicillin resistance among Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates has markedly increased. This trend is unsettling because infections caused by S pneumoniae are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in young children, the elderly, and persons with debilitating medical conditions. There is evidence that drug-resistant S pneumoniae affects clinical outcome in patients with meningitis and otitis media, but the clinical relevance of drug resistance in managing communityacquired pneumonia has been less clear. Furthermore, penicillin-resistant strains may also be resistant to other antimicrobials, including cephalosporins, macrolides, tetracyclines, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and chloramphenicol. Newer antimicrobials that have enhanced activity against S pneumoniae (including resistant strains) are available, and other agents are being investigated. However, to minimize antimicrobial resistance, the CDC recommends improving vaccination rates and using antibiotics judiciously.

Community-Acquired Infections; Diagnosis; Drug Resistance; Differential; Pneumonia; Bacterial; Microbial; Streptococcal Infections; Bacterial – Diagnosis

Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

833–842

12

20