Progressive Increase in Antimicrobial Resistance among Invasive Isolates of Haemophilus influenzae Obtained from Children Admitted to a Hospital in Kilifi, Kenya, from 1994 to 2002
Scott JAG., Mwarumba S., Ngetsa C., Njenga S., Lowe BS., Slack MPE., Berkley JA., Mwangi I., Maitland K., English M., Marsh K.
<jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title> <jats:p>Etest susceptibilities to amoxicillin, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole of 240 invasive isolates of <jats:italic>Haemophilus influenzae</jats:italic> cultured from children in rural Kenya were 66%, 66%, and 38%, respectively. Resistance increased markedly over 9 years and was concentrated among serotype b isolates. In Africa, the increasing cost of treating resistant infections supports economic arguments for prevention through conjugate <jats:italic>H. influenzae</jats:italic> type b immunization.</jats:p>