RESISTANCE OF STREPTOCOCCUS-PNEUMONIAE TO ANTIBIOTICS - INFLUENCE OF UNDERLYING DISEASES (AGE, COPD, HIV, UPPER RESPIRATORY-TRACT NEOPLASM

From january 1988 to december 1992, 143 Streptococcus pneumoniae strains were isolated from 136 patients hospitalized in the pulmonary care unit of CHI Creteil. Antibiotics below were tested : penicillin (P), upon 139 strains, erythromycin (E), chloramphenicol (C), tetracycline (T) and cotrimoxazole (SxT) upon 140 strains; 3 strains did not growth in subculture. Mean age of the population is 57 years (range 19-95). Age above 50 years don't influence succeptibility to one of the antibiotics tested or multiply resistance (> 3 antibiotics). On the other hand resistance against erythromycine is favoured when patients are older than 70. This cut off don't influence multiply resistance. In COPD patients (93/136), resistance against tetracycline is enhanced. Eight patients have a HIV seropositivity and 22 an upper respiratory tract neoplasm. These two diseases don't influence resistance against antibiotics. Among underlying diseases studied (age, COPD, upper respiratory tract neoplasm), only age and COPD appear to influence Streptococcus pneumoniae resistance to the antibiotics tested.