| Abstract: | Seven hundred and thirty-four isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, recovered from the sputum of 238 cystic fibrosis patients in six French hospitals, were characterized by esterase electrophoretic typing, capsular polysaccharide sero-typing and phage typing and tested against 14 antibiotics for sensitivity. Thirty-four esterase electrophoretic types were found with a genotypic diversity coefficient of 0·91. Five hundred and forty-eight (78·7%) isolates produced capsular polysaccharide and 350 (50·3%) were type 8. Four hundred and sixty isolates (66·6%) were phage typable and 202 (28·2%) were lysed by group III bacteriophages. No esterase electrophoretic type, capsular type or phage type was specific to cystic fibrosis. Isolates belonged to a wide range of types, similar to strains acquired outside hospitals. Eighty-five patients had three or more consecutive isolates over at least 6 months. The ability of S. aureus to persist for long periods of time has been demonstarated in 73% of them. Methicillin-resistance was enacountered among 73 strains (9·8%) which were also multiresistant. Two hundred and eighty-nine (39·9%) strains were sensitive to all antibiotics tested except to penicillin. Pristinamycin and co-trimoxazole were the most effective antibiotics. These results could contribute to the elaboration of a rational approach to the prophylaxis and therapy of respiratory staphylococcal infections in cystic fibrosis patients. |
