Nation-wide survey of antibiotic resistance by means of a computer. Analysis of 200.000 strains of problem bacteria isolated in 1973.

Based on a pilot study performed in 5 District Public Health Laboratories (PHL) in the Slovakia in 1972 (1), the computer system for elaborating the informations concerning the resistance of "problem bacteria" to antibiotics has completely been introduced in 18 PHLs for all-year studies on the resistance to antibiotics in 1973. The results obtained in each PHL and also in total of about 200.000 bacterial strains belonging to 8 of the clinically most important bacterial species were passed on to the corresponding PHL and to the health authorities twice a year. Each PHL elaborated these data being useful and instructive for general practitioners and clinicians in the hospitals of their districts to a commented information on the actual state of effectiveness of individual antibacterial drugs. The multiple spectra of resistance to antibiotics indicating the occurrence of R plasmids in clinical isolates of bacteria and the dynamics for the development of resistance against certain specially monitored "reserved antibiotics" are elaborated at present and will be published in a subsequent communication...