Increasing antimicrobial resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis in Finland

Respiratory and otitis isolates of 807 Streptococcus pneumoniae, 816 Haemophilus influenzae and 446 Moraxella catarrhalis were collected from 21 clinical microbiology laboratories for antimicrobial susceptibility testing in 1995. After a period of relative stability in 1981 and 1987-1990, beta-lactamase production increased in H. influenzae. Among middle ear isolates from children under 6 years, beta-lactamase production increased from 8% to 24% in H. influenzae and from 81% to 96% in M. catarrhalis since the survey in 1987-1990. 1.2% of S. pneumoniae were penicillin-resistant and 4.2% intermediately resistant; 5 years earlier among otitis isolates of children only 1.7% intermediate resistance was found. Ampicillin resistance was seen among 1.9% of non-beta-lactamase-producing strains of H. influenzae. Resistance to trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole occurred in 9.4% of S. pneumoniae, 7.4% of H. influenzae and 0.7% of M. catarrhalis. Frequencies of azithromycin resistance were 3.0% in S. pneumoniae and 1.6% in H. influenzae, and those of tetracycline resistance were 6.7% in S. pneumoniae and 1.2% in H. influenzae.