[Interrelation of the antibiotic sensitivity (resistance) of staphylococci, clinical forms of the infection and production of protein A].

Two hundred and thirty-two strains of Staph. aureus isolated from patients with staphylococcal infections were studied. The strains were isolated from the blood of patients with sepsis, from the purulent foci on the skin and in the subcutaneous fat, from the nasopharyngeal mucosa of patients with tonsillitis and inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, from the sputum of patients with the pneumonia signs and from the pus of patients with otitis. The pathogens were identified with the routine methods. The quantitative content of protein A in the strains was determined by the method of indirect hemagglutination with red blood cells sensitized with the hemolytic serum. The data obtained were analysed with regard to the strain group and characteristics of the strain resistance or sensitivity to benzylpenicillin, erythromycin, oleandomycin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, neomycin, kanamycin, monomycin, ristomycin and furagin K. Statistically significant differences in the protein A content in certain strain groups were observed. These differences might be correlated with the strain antibiotic resistance but not sensitivity. Pronounced changes in the levels of protein A were detected in the staphylococcal hemocultures resistant to erythromycin and streptomycin. The cultures resistant to erythromycin were characterized by decreased content of protein A and those resistant to streptomycin were characterized by increased content of protein A. Comparison of the antibiotic sensitivity of the strains of 5 groups by variation statistics revealed significant differences in the levels of sensitivity to streptomycin, neomycin, kanamycin, monomycin, ristomycin and furagin K but not to erythromycin, oleandomycin and chloramphenicol in the strains of certain groups. The staphylococcal hemocultures isolated from patients with sepsis proved to be the most sensitive to the antibiotics.