Background and objective: Streptococcus pneumoniae is the main etiological agent of community-acquired pneumonia. The aim of this work was to ascertain the resistance profiles of pneumococcus to penicillin and erythromycin and to analyse whether such profiles lead to different disease developments.
Patients and method: A retrospective analysis was carried out in 75 cases of pneumococcal pneumonia corresponding to hospitalized patients. Comorbidity factors were evaluated including their influence on the appearance of resistance.
Results: 67 patients (89.3%) presented comorbidity factors. 49.3% isolates displayed some type of resistance: 38.6% to penicillin, 36% to erythromycin and 13.3% to cefotaxime. No relationship was observed between the severity of the pneumonia and antibiotic resistance. Complications and mortality were not influenced by the susceptibility of pneumococcus to antibiotics.
Conclusion: The increase in the resistance to antibiotics, especially erythromycin, makes betalactams the best choice for the treatment of pneumococcal pneumonia.