Epidemiology of XXXX -resistant pneumococci in a Merseyside Health District over a 14-year period.

@entity1 @entity114
OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and epidemiology of @entity114 -resistantStreptococcus pneumoniae isolates in the St Helens and Knowsley Health District of Merseyside. METHODS: @entity114 -resistant pneumococci were isolated from clinical samples taken from 549 @entity1 between January 1987 and December 2000. @entity1 profile, bacterial serotype and resistance patterns were analysed. RESULTS: Between January 1987 and December 2000, the prevalence of @entity114 -resistant pneumococci increased from 1.4% to a peak of 12.9% in 1997, subsequently falling to 8.9%. High-level @entity114 resistance was found in 243 (44.3%) of the isolates. Two hundred and eighty isolates were from @entity1 (mean age 2.2 years), of whom only 25% were clinically infected. Two hundred and sixty nine isolates were from adults (average age 68.4 years) of whom 88% were infected. Over 65% of isolates were community acquired with 53% of @entity1 having received antibiotics in the 3 months prior to their first isolate. Twenty six per cent of @entity1 had underlying disease of the respiratory tract. The changing evolution of serotypes over the 14 years of the study was associated with changes in sensitivity patterns. Serotype 9 was the most common serotype (36%). CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates the evolution of @entity114 resistance in the @entity1 population of this District over the past 14 years.
