November 22, 2013
WASHINGTON, DC Certain strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are becoming particularly prevalent in the northeastern United States, according to a new CDDEP study.
The findings published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, focused in particular on strains of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) that are resistant to the antibiotics clindamycin and erythromycin, yet remain susceptible to tetracycline. In New York State, such strains of MSSA have spread quickly, with the percentage of bacteria displaying this resistance profile rising from 4% in 2002 to 19% in 2006. The rate in New York stood around 14.5% in 2011 slightly lower than the 16% recorded in the rest of the Northeast and well above the national average of 10.1%.
The spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has gained significant attention in recent years as scientists around the globe grapple with the increasingly urgent problem of antibiotic resistance. Indeed, another CDDEP study earlier this year showed that the number of MRSA infections in the US alone more than doubled between 1999 and 2009. The recent research, however, supports earlier claims that some strains of MSSA are now becoming more difficult to treat as their resistance to popular antibiotics grows.
This trend could be due in part to the increased consumption of certain antibiotics. Clindamycin, for example, is a top choice for the treatment of skin and soft tissue infections. High rates of clindamycin prescriptions may have brought about the recorded rise in clindamycin-resistant strains of both MRSA and MSSA in recent years.
The findings of the CDDEP team could help future researchers and medical professionals screen more selectively for resistant bacteria, according to Sumanth Gandra, post-doctoral scholar at CDDEP and lead author on the analysis.
Our research identifies regions in the United States with a high prevalence of clindamycin-resistant MSSA, allowing researchers to study the resistance mechanisms and epidemiology of bacteria with this particular profile, he said. It also points to the need for further research into the role of clindamycin overconsumption in the increased prevalence of clindamycin-resistant MSSA.
