Prevalence and Molecular Genetics of Macrolide Resistance among Streptococcus pneumoniae Isolates Collected in Finland in 2002

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Abstract
The prevalence and mechanisms of macrolide resistance among 1,007 clinical pneumococcal isolates collected in Finland were investigated. Of these, 217 (21.5%) were resistant to erythromycin and 11% to clindamycin. Among the erythromycin-resistant isolates, mef (E) was present in 95 isolates (44%), mef (A) was present in 12 isolates (6%), and erm (B) was present in 90 isolates (41%). A double mechanism, mef (E) and erm (B), was detected in five isolates (2%). Ribosomal mutation was detected in 14 (6%) macrolide-resistant isolates in which no other determinant was found. Based on the telithromycin MICs, two groups of isolates were formed: 83.3% of the isolates belonged to a major group for which the telithromycin MIC range was ≤0.008 to 0.063 μg/ml, and 16.7% belonged to a minor group for which the telithromycin MIC range was 0.125 to 8 μg/ml. All except three isolates in the minor population carried a macrolide resistance gene.

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