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A total of 8176 Danish Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from cases of bacteraemia during the years 1963 to 1987 were investigated for resistance to fusidic acid. During the whole period 1% of the strains or less were resistant (MIC of 2 mg/l or more). The total Danish consumption of fusidic acid during the same period increased from 0.008 to 0.029 defined daily doses/1000 inhabitants/day. The resistant strains were mainly sporadic isolates with the phage-types and antibiotic-resistance patterns predominant in Denmark at the time of their isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A survey of Staphylococcus aureus lung infection in 243 patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) was conducted between 1986 and 1988. A total of 217 patients (89%) received 1605 courses of anti-staphylococcal therapy given during this period. The majority of courses comprised combined therapy with two anti-staphylococcal drugs. The combination of dicloxacillin and fusidic acid was employed most frequently. Some patients were given other anti-staphylococcal regimens, because of penicillin allergy (14 cases) or dyspeptic side effects with fusidic acid (21 patients). A small but significant increase in precipitins against S. aureus was observed during the study period. Bacterial resistance to the anti-staphylococcal drugs used remained at a low level (strains resistant to methicillin < 0.1%, strains resistant to fusidic acid 1.2%). When the isolates were compared with 56,140 strains of S. aureus isolated from non-CF patients hospitalized in Denmark over the same period, no differences in phage-types or in antibiotic resistance were seen, indicating that selection of strains and cross infection do not seem to be a major problem in CF patients. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A number of β-lactamase screening methods for the detection of β-lactamases in staphylococci, haemophilus or gonococci were applied to 60 Gram-negative rods belonging to different genera and species, and the results were compared with those obtained by the iodometric assay. Two of the screening methods appeared to be useful for indication of constitutive β-lactamase production, one indicating primarily the breakdown of penicillins, the other the break down of cephalosporins. We suggest that these tests should be used as supplement to the ordinary sensitivity testing. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Surveillance cultures for the demonstration of coagulase-negative staphylococci in patients on catheter haemodialysis were performed in an attempt to predict dialysis catheter-related septicaemia. In all, 43 patients with 67 haemodialysis catheters were followed for a 1-y period. Once a week, swab specimens were obtained from the skin at the insertion site and the hub, and blood cultures were obtained from the catheter. Among coagulase-negative staphylococci, S. epidermidis was the most frequently (80%) isolated species, and two biotypes accounted for 55.7% of the 41 biotypes isolated. 11 septicaemia cases due to coagulase-negative staphylococci occurred, all caused by S. epidermidis, and the incidence of S. epidermidis septicaemia was 21% among patients and 16% among catheter periods. S. epidermidis septicaemia occurred in 17%, 31% and 33% of all catheter periods in which S. epidermidis was cultured from the skin, hub and catheter blood, respectively. In two-thirds of all catheter periods, S. epidermidis was cultured from catheter blood despite lack of clinical signs of septicaemia. In conclusion, cultures from the skin, hub or catheter blood are not useful for prediction of dialysis catheter-related septicaemia due to coagulase-negative staphylococci. When septicaemia is suspected, peripheral blood cultures are mandatory to reach a correct diagnosis and aetiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]