V Cattoir1, Z F Ould-Hocine, P Legrand. 1. Laboratoire de bactériologie-virologie-hygiène, CHU Henri-Mondor, Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, faculté de médecine, université Paris-XII, 51, avenue du Maréchal-de-Lattre-de-Tassigny, 94010 Créteil, France. vincent.cattoir@hmn.aphp.fr
Abstract
AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the antimicrobial susceptibilities of Clostridium difficile clinical isolates obtained from symptomatic patients suffering from diarrhoea. METHODS: In vitro activities of 22 antimicrobial agents were evaluated against 401 clinical isolates of C. difficile collected from patients hospitalized in a French university hospital (Henri Mondor hospital) between 2001 and 2007. The in vitro antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the disc diffusion method according to recommendations of the antibiogram committee of the French society for microbiology. RESULTS: All strains were found to be susceptible to metronidazole and vancomycin but resistant to clindamycin, gentamicin, and colistin. Most of them were susceptible to pristinamycin (97.8%), rifampin (94.8%), and chloramphenicol (97.3%), and variable degrees of resistance were found for erythromycin and spiramycin (72.8%), as well as for tetracycline (85.6%). Note that none of the strain was susceptible to ofloxacin, and that 80.5% of them showed a high-level resistance. For beta-lactams, all strains were resistant to tested cephalosporins, and nine isolates (2.2%) were also resistant to penicillins combined or not to a beta-lactamase inhibitor. Finally, 28 (7%) and 38 (9.5%) of tested strains were categorized intermediate and resistant to imipenem (with a heterogeneous aspect), respectively. CONCLUSION: All tested strains were found to be susceptible to metronidazole and vancomycin which remain antimicrobial agents for the treatment of infections caused by C. difficile.
AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the antimicrobial susceptibilities of Clostridium difficile clinical isolates obtained from symptomatic patients suffering from diarrhoea. METHODS: In vitro activities of 22 antimicrobial agents were evaluated against 401 clinical isolates of C. difficile collected from patients hospitalized in a French university hospital (Henri Mondor hospital) between 2001 and 2007. The in vitro antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the disc diffusion method according to recommendations of the antibiogram committee of the French society for microbiology. RESULTS: All strains were found to be susceptible to metronidazole and vancomycin but resistant to clindamycin, gentamicin, and colistin. Most of them were susceptible to pristinamycin (97.8%), rifampin (94.8%), and chloramphenicol (97.3%), and variable degrees of resistance were found for erythromycin and spiramycin (72.8%), as well as for tetracycline (85.6%). Note that none of the strain was susceptible to ofloxacin, and that 80.5% of them showed a high-level resistance. For beta-lactams, all strains were resistant to tested cephalosporins, and nine isolates (2.2%) were also resistant to penicillins combined or not to a beta-lactamase inhibitor. Finally, 28 (7%) and 38 (9.5%) of tested strains were categorized intermediate and resistant to imipenem (with a heterogeneous aspect), respectively. CONCLUSION: All tested strains were found to be susceptible to metronidazole and vancomycin which remain antimicrobial agents for the treatment of infections caused by C. difficile.