The penicillin resistance of pneumococcal infections in chilhood

Streptococcus pneumoniae resistant strains to penicillin have been reported worldwide, although, penicillin and some other antibiotics have been used for the treatment of pneumococcal infections with success for many years. The resistance to penicillin and some other antibiotics were tested in S. pneumoniae strains, which were isolated from various clinical samples. E-test was used to detect the minimal inhibitor concentration. Between April 2003 and June 2007, thirty one S. pneumoniae strains were isolated from blood, cerebrospinal fluid, urine at pediatric department of Dicle University Hospital and Diyarbakir Child Hospital . Five strains (16.1%) were found to be low-level resistant to penicillin, one (3.2%) strain high-level resistant to penicillin and 25 strains (80.7%) were found to be susceptible to penicillin. Ceftriaxone resistance was found in one (3.2%). There was not any resistant strain to vancomycin. As a conclusion, In our region, penicillin still must be the first choice of drug in the treatment of pneumococcal infections. However in the empirical treatment of serious pneumococcal infections and pneumococcal meningitis, ceftriaxone would have been chosen as the first-line antibiotic until the susceptibility to penicillin was found.