DISTRIBUTION OF RESISTANCES TO METALS AND ANTIBIOTICS OF STAPHYLOCOCCAL STRAINS IN JAPAN

  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 237  (4) , 470-476
Abstract
Clinical (human) isolates of 565 staphylococcal strains were studied for their resistance to 4 metals and 8 antibiotics. Distribution patterns of their susceptibilities to Hg, As and Pb clearly revealed 2 peaks, but there were 3 groups of Cd sensitivity. Metal resistance frequencies were 36.6% to Hg, 95.6% to Cd, 48.8% to As and 91.9% to Pb. Drug resistance frequencies were 87.3% to penicillin, 28.5% to streptomycin, 33.5% to tetracycline, 22.7% to chloramphenicol, 23.9% to kanamycin, 43.0% to erythromycin, 38.8% to josamycin and 0% to gentamicin. Most cultures were metal-resistant strains (97.7%), and most of these metal-resistant strains were multiple-metal-resistant (92.9%), moreover, these multiple-metal-resistant strains were also multiple-drug-resistant. About 10% of total isolates were metal-resistant and drug-sensitive strains, whereas the frequency of the metal-sensitive and drug-resistant strains was only 1.8%.