High prevalence of the ermB gene among erythromycin-resistant streptococcus pneumoniae isolates in Germany during the winter of 2000-2001 and in vitro activity of telithromycin

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2004 Aug;48(8):3193-5. doi: 10.1128/AAC.48.8.3193-3195.2004.

Abstract

Of 595 isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae from outpatients with respiratory tract infections, collected from 17 microbiology laboratories, 14.1% were resistant to erythromycin. Eighty-three erythromycin-resistant isolates were genetically analyzed, 83.1% of which harbored the ermB gene. Only four isolates (4.8%) harbored the mefA gene. Telithromycin exhibited potent activity against all isolates.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics*
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial
  • Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  • Erythromycin / pharmacology*
  • Genotype
  • Germany / epidemiology
  • Ketolides*
  • Macrolides / pharmacology*
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics
  • Methyltransferases / genetics*
  • Pneumococcal Infections / epidemiology
  • Pneumococcal Infections / microbiology
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae / drug effects*
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae / genetics*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Ketolides
  • Macrolides
  • MefA protein, Streptococcus
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Erythromycin
  • Methyltransferases
  • ErmA protein, Bacteria
  • telithromycin