Antimicrobial susceptibility of pathogens isolated from adult patients with uncomplicated community-acquired urinary tract infections in the Russian Federation: two multicentre studies, UTIAP-1 and UTIAP-2.

In two Russian studies (UTIAP-1 and UTIAP-2) susceptibility to commonly used antimicrobial agents for urinary tract infections (UTI) was determined. 456 urinary isolates were obtained from 588 out-patients with uncomplicated UTI in eight Russian centers during 1998-2001. The most common pathogens were Escherichia coli (85.9%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (6.0%). Over 90% of the E. coli isolates were susceptible to nitrofurantoin (95.7%), cefuroxime (96.4%) and ciprofloxacin (95.5%). Co-amoxiclav, nalidixic acid and pipemidic acid were less active -84.4%, 93.1% and 93.9% susceptibility stains correspondingly. In contrast, 37.1% of the E. coli isolates were resistant to ampicillin, 22.9% to trimethoprim, 21% to co-trimoxazole. Susceptibility patterns of uropathogens vary between geographical regions of Russia.

Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns among gastroenteritis-causing pathogens recovered in Europe and Latin America and Salmonella isolates recovered from bloodstream infections in North America and Latin America: report from the SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Program (2003).

Gastroenteritis-causing pathogens are the second leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Complicating the clinical diarrhoea syndrome is the emergence of antimicrobial resistance among the responsible bacterial pathogens. The reported increases in fluoroquinolone resistance in Salmonella, Shigella and Campylobacter have been extremely worrisome considering the primary role of ciprofloxacin as a treatment. In this study, 1479 bacterial isolates from gastroenteritis infections were collected in Europe and Latin America, which included Salmonella spp. (834; 56%), Shigella spp. (311; 21%), Campylobacter spp. (182; 12%) and Aeromonas spp. (72; 5%). The fluoroquinolones displayed the greatest activity against these pathogens, with only three non-Campylobacter spp. strains being non-susceptible using current Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) breakpoint criteria. Whilst ciprofloxacin resistance in European and Latin American Salmonella was only 0.2% and 0.0%, respectively, a total of 16.2% and 12.9% of isolates were resistant to nalidixic acid, indicating possible first-step gyrA mutations. Among confirmed extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Salmonella strains, CTX-M genes were detected in 15 originating from Russia. Erythromycin and azithromycin were the most potent agents tested against Campylobacter spp. (values of minimum inhibitory concentration for 90% of the organisms, 0.5 mg/L and 0.12 mg/L, respectively), with erythromycin displaying the highest susceptibility (91.1%). Salmonella isolates from bloodstream infections displayed antibiograms that were nearly identical to strains causing gastroenteritis. Considering the role that antimicrobial therapy plays in the management of moderate to severe bacterial gastroenteritis, global surveillance and local/national public health programmes can provide critical data illuminating the dissemination of resistance and guidance for empirical therapy.

Management of nonsevere pneumonia in military trainees with the urinary antigen test for Streptococcus pneumoniae: an innovative approach to targeted therapy.

BACKGROUND: The drug of choice for treatment of Streptococcus pneumoniae infection is generally a penicillin (including amoxicillin). Targeted therapy is, however, rarely used, because results of definitive diagnostic tests for pneumonia are not available for several days. Thus, broad-spectrum antibiotics are used for empirical treatment of pneumonia to cover both typical and atypical pathogens. Our purpose was to assess the usefulness of a strategy of targeted antimicrobial therapy based on the results of a rapid urinary antigen test for S. pneumoniae. METHODS: Military trainees with pneumonia were prospectively assigned to 2 groups: patients with positive urinary antigen test results who were treated with amoxicillin (1000 mg 3 times per day), and patients with negative urinary antigen test results who were treated with clarithromycin (500 mg 2 times per day). The duration of therapy was 5-10 days for both groups. RESULTS: A total of 219 evaluable patients were enrolled in the study. The most common causes of pneumonia were S. pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Patients with positive urinary antigen test results had illness of greater severity at the time of study entry. Twenty-two percent of patients had positive urinary antigen test results (i.e., the amoxicillin group), and 78% had negative urinary antigen test results (i.e., the clarithromycin group). The clinical success rates were 94% for the clarithromycin group and 90% for the amoxicillin group (P = not significant). None of the patients who were classified as having treatment failure died. Resolution of clinical manifestations was slower for patients with pneumococcal pneumonia defined by a positive urinary antigen test result. CONCLUSIONS: The urine antigen test allowed targeted use of a penicillin (amoxicillin) for young immunocompetent individuals with nonsevere, community-acquired pneumonia. Clarithromycin was highly effective against both S. pneumoniae pneumonia and pneumonia due to atypical pathogens.

Antistreptococcal activity of telithromycin compared with seven other drugs in relation to macrolide resistance mechanisms in Russia.

The susceptibilities of 468 recent Russian clinical Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates and 600 Streptococcus pyogenes isolates, from 14 centers in Russia, to telithromycin, erythromycin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, clindamycin, levofloxacin, quinupristin-dalfopristin, and penicillin G were tested. Penicillin-nonsusceptible S. pneumoniae strains were rare except in Siberia, where their prevalence rate was 13.5%: most were penicillin intermediate, but for three strains (two from Smolensk and one from Novosibirsk) the MICs of penicillin G were 4 or 8 micro g/ml. Overall, 2.5% of S. pneumoniae isolates were resistant to erythromycin. Efflux was the prevalent resistance mechanism (five strains; 41.7%), followed by ribosomal methylation encoded by constitutive erm(B), which was found in four isolates. Ribosomal mutation was the mechanism of macrolide resistance in three isolates; one erythromycin-resistant S. pneumoniae isolate had an A2059G mutation in 23S rRNA, and two isolates had substitution of GTG by TPS at positions 69 to 71 in ribosomal protein L4. All S. pyogenes isolates were susceptible to penicillin, and 11% were erythromycin resistant. Ribosomal methylation was the most common resistance mechanism for S. pyogenes (89.4%). These methylases were encoded by erm(A) [subclass erm(TR)] genes, and their expression was inducible in 96.6% of isolates. The rest of the erythromycin-resistant Russian S. pyogenes isolates (7.6%) had an efflux resistance mechanism. Telithromycin was active against 100% of pneumococci and 99.2% of S. pyogenes, and levofloxacin and quinupristin-dalfopristin were active against all isolates of both species.