Relationship between glycopeptide use and decreased susceptibility to teicoplanin in isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci.

To investigate the relationship between glycopeptide use and decreased susceptibility to teicoplanin in coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) isolates, data on teicoplanin susceptibility and glycopeptide use from existing microbiology laboratory and pharmacy databases were collected for the period between July 2000 and March 2001. Pooled data for the entire study period were first used to analyse associations. Univariate analysis showed that the incidence of CNS with decreased susceptibility to teicoplanin was significantly correlated with the use of glycopetides, particularly with vancomycin use. This association was confirmed by multivariate analysis. This study suggests that variations in antimicrobial resistance are related to variations in antimicrobial use in the model of CNS with decreased susceptibility to teicoplanin, thus confirming the usefulness of restricting antimicrobial prescribing as a means of controlling resistance.