Abstract
SUMMARYBetween July 1998 and July 1999 1050 clinical isolates of Streptococcus pyogenes were collected from 11 study centres in five countries. Isolates were shipped to a co‐ordinating laboratory for NCCLS specified broth microdilution susceptibility testing for penicillin, cefaclor, azithromycin, clarithromycin, erythromycin and roxithromycin. All 1050 isolates of S. pyogenes tested were susceptible to penicillin (MIC <0.12 ug/ml) and cefaclor (MIC ≤0.25 μg/ml). Azithromycin, clarithromycin and erythromycin resistance rates were 15.9%, 15.4% and 15.8%, respectively. MIC90s for penicillin, cefaclor, azithromycin, clarithromycin, erythromycin, and roxithromycin were 0.015, 0.12, >4, 8, >1 and 16 μg/ml, respectively. Macrolide (erythromycin) resistance rates were highest in study centres in Italy (31.0%) and Spain (26.6%). Lower macrolide resistance rates were identified in study centres in Turkey (4.8%), France (3.8%), and Sweden (3.7%). In conclusion, the isolates of S. pyogenes tested were universally susceptible to β‐lactam antibiotics such as penicillin and cefaclor, while resistance to macrolides was significant and ranged from 3.2% to 31%.
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