All issues > Volume 43(5); 2000

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 2000;43(5):625-631. Published online May 15, 2000.

The Relation between Antibiotic Use and Changes of Antimicrobial Resistance of Gram Negative Bacilli Isolated in Chonbuk National University Hospital(1993-1997)

Min Ki MK Chang¹, Jung Min JM Chu¹, Hae Soo HS Lee², Jung Soo JS Kim¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Chonbuk National University, Chonju, Korea
²Department of Clinical Pathology, School of Medicine, Chonbuk National University, Chonju, Korea

Abstract

Purpose
: Antimicrobial resistance has become a major medical and public health problem. This study was performed to evaluate the changes in antimicrobial susceptibility patterns.
Methods
: The susceptibility of 8,224 recent clinical isolates during a 5-year period from 1993 to 1997 were tested against 8 antimicrobial agents. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed by disc diffusion method.
Results
: E. coli was the most common clinical isolate followed by P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae, E. cloacae and S. marcescens. Results of susceptibility test were as follows. Most of the microbial isolates were highly resistant(>90%) to ampicillin. E. coli was susceptible to cefotaxime, ceftazidime and amikacin, but was highly resistant to penicillins. Resistance rate of E. coli to ceftazidime was gradually increased from 3% to 14% during the study period. P. aeruginosa was highly resistant to all kinds of antibiotics. K. pneumoniae was relatively sensitive to cephalosporins, aminoglycosides and ciprofloxacin, but showed high resistance to penicillins. E. cloacae was sensitive to ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol. S. marcescens was also sensitive to ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol and ceftazidime. Resistance to ceftazidime was gradually increased in E. coli, P. aeruginosa, E. cloacae and S. marcescens, while that of cefotaxime was rather decreased during the study period in E. coli, K. pneumoniae and E. colacae.
Conclusion
: Antimicrobial resistance of Gram-negative organisms gradually changed during the study period. Those changes, which were more significant in cephalosporins, generally correlated with the amount of antibiotics used.

Keywords :Antimicrobial resistance, Gram-negative bacilli, Antibiotics