Prevalence of inducible clindamycin resistance in macrolide-resistant Staphylococcus spp.

Between January 2002 and December 2003, macrolide-resistant isolates of Staphylococcus aureus (n = 45) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS; n = 75) from a Greek hospital were examined phenotypically for inducible clindamycin resistance. The constitutive macrolide resistance phenotype predominated (60%) in S. aureus, followed by the inducible (35%) and the clindamycin-susceptible (5%) phenotypes. In CoNS, the inducible phenotype was more common than the constitutive phenotype (50% vs. 41%). There was a significant incidence of inducible clindamycin resistance, and screening of all staphylococci is necessary in order to differentiate inducibly resistant isolates from those that are truly sensitive.