Antimicrobial resistance

Emergence of resistance to many new broad-spectrum agents, as well as to older antimicrobial agents, has again become an alarming problem. Studies reviewed in this paper address methicillin resistance in staphylococci, which can be detected with the mecA gene probe; resistance of enterococci to gentamicin, ampicillin, and glycopeptides; and resistance of other gram-positive cocci such as Pediococcus species, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, and Pneumococcus species to antibiotics. The review also covers the limited use for ciprofloxacin in the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus, salmonellae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections; resistance to third-generation cephalosporins in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacteriaceae; and imipenem resistance in P. aeruginosa. Finally, studies on the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms in the community and hospital settings are discussed.