Epidemiological survey of Neisseria meningitidis susceptibility to penicillin G in France.

The susceptibility of 82 strains of Neisseria meningitidis to penicillin G and amoxicillin was evaluated with two media "gonococci-meningococci" medium (G medium) derived from Mueller Hinton and chocolate agar. Among these 82 strains 52 were isolated from CSF and/or blood and 30 from miscellaneous isolates. G medium was compared with chocolate agar using the correlation between diameters and MIC and the E-test. Routinely standardised antibiogram is still used but the authors added the following techniques 1) MIC of penicillin G is tested (0.06; 0.125; 0.250; 0.50 mg/l); 2) use of oxacillin disc charged with 5 micrograms. Penicillinase producing meningococci were not found. Standardised antibiogram on 4192 strains resulted in a modal distribution of diameters between 18 to 40 mm. Moderate meningococci susceptible strains to penicillin G are increasing in France: 1994: 4%; 1995: 11%; 1996: 18%.