[ prevalence of nasopharyngeal streptococcal pneumonia carriers in Mashhad day care children and their antibiotic resistance pattern]

ABSTRACT

Streptococcus pneumonia is the most common cause of communityacquired bacterial respiratory tract infection. It is also a major cause of acute otitis media, bacteremia and meningitis. There are few data on antibiotic- resistant streptococcus pneumonia in Iran. The aim of our study was to determine prevalence of nasopharyngeal carrier of streptococcus pneumonia and their antibiotic resistance pattern in children. This cross sectional study was performed from Jan 2005 to Feb2006 .1161 healthy children aged less than 6 years attending day -care centers in Mashhad city were studied. Nasopharyngeal samples were collected by sterile swabs and then inoculated on selective agar. After 24h incubation microbiological tests were performed and antimicrobial sensitivity tests were done. of 1161 children 572[49.3%] were boys and 589[50.7%] were girls and the mean age was 4.2 years. Streptococcus pneumonia was recovered from 102 [8.78%]. The rate of resistance to at least one antibiotic was 100%, 80.4%, 48.3%, 43.13%, 40.79%, 18.62%, 22.5 5% to Co-trimoxazol, Penicillin, Erythromycin, Cefixime, Amoxicillin clavunic acid, Amoxicillin respectively. Although the rate of the carrier nasopharyngeal pneumococci in the Mashhad city was low [8.7%]. The resistant rate to the antibiotics was high. In order to avoid of excessive antibiotic use and subsequently high rate of resistance, enough education not only to the physicians but also general population is necessary