A 7-year survey of drug resistance in aerobic and anaerobic fecal bacteria of surgical inpatients: clinical relevance and relation to local antibiotic consumption.

One-day studies of bacteriological cultures of fecal specimens obtained from 409 surgical inpatients at 5 occasions enabled rapid assessment of antibiotic resistance in aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, relevant to abdominal infection. This novel approach to surveillance of drug resistance was tested in a 7-year survey at a surgical department. A distinct correlation between local drug consumption and prevalence of resistant fecal bacteria was recorded for ampicillin and doxycycline. 17 other agents studied showed no such obvious correlations. Huge increases of cefuroxime and metronidazole consumption caused no emergence of drug resistant aerobic and anaerobic fecal bacteria. Imipenem was the only agent tested, which inhibited both the aerobic and anaerobic fecal bacteria of nearly all patients.