Susceptibility of the Bacteroides fragilis group in the United States in 1981.

The minimal inhibitory concentrations of nine antimicrobial agents was determined for over 750 clinical isolates of the Bacteroides fragilis group of anaerobic bacteria collected from nine centers in the United States during 1981. High resistance rates were documented for cefoperazone, cefotaxime, and tetracycline. Cefoxitin had the best activity of the beta-lactam antibiotics, whereas moxalactam and piperacillin had good activities. The resistance rate for clindamycin was 6%. There were no metronidazole- or chloramphenicol-resistant isolates encountered. There were significant differences in susceptibility among the various species of the B. fragilis group, particularly with moxalactam, cefoxitin, and clindamycin. Clustering of clindamycin-, piperacillin-, and cefoxitin-resistant isolates was observed at different hospitals. The variability of resistance rates with the beta-lactam antibiotics and clindamycin indicates that susceptibility testing of significant clinical isolates should be performed to define local resistance patterns.