The bacteria isolated from the patients with lower respiratory tract infections were collected by institutions located throughout Japan, since 1981. IKEMOTO et al. have been investigating susceptibilities of these isolates to various antibacterial agents and antibiotics, and analyzed some characteristics of the patients and isolates from them each year. Results obtained from these investigations are discussed.
In these 18 institutions around the entire Japan, 532 strains of presumably etiological bacteria were isolated mainly from the sputa of 438 patients with lower respiratory tract infections during the period from October in 1998 to September in 1999. MICs of various antibacterial agents and antibiotics were determined against 85 strains of Staphylococcus aureus, 100 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae, 96 strains of Haemophilus influenzae, 75 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (non-mucoid strains), 6 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (mucoid strains), 38 strains of Moraxella subgenus Branhamella catarrhalis, 26 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae etc., and the susceptibilities of 517 strains were assessed except for those strains that died during transportation.
S. aureus strains for which MICs of oxacillin (MPIPC) were higher than 4μg/ml (methicillin-resistant S. aureus: MRSA) accounted for 60.0%. Vancomycin (VCM) and arbekacin (ABK) showed the most potent activities against MRSA. But one of MRSA showed resistance to ABK with the MIC of 64μg/ml. The sensitive strains of MRSA to VCM have decreased. The frequency of penicillin (PC)-intermediate S. pneumoniae (PISP) +PC-resistant S. pneumoniae (PRSP) have increased in 46.0% for 1998 cpmparatively from 30.9% of 1997's. But PRSP decreased, and PISP increased into 39.0% of 1998 years from 19.8% of 1997's. Panipenem (PAPM), imipenem (IPM) and faropenem (FRPM) showed the most potent activities against S. pneumoniae with MIC₈₀s of 0.125μg/ml or below. Against H. influenzae and M.(B.) catarrhalis, almost all the drugs showed good activities. The sensitive strains of them against ceftazidime (CAZ) decreased in 1997, but those have increased in 1998. Inversely, the susceptibility of them against cefotiam (CTM) had been higher in 1997, but those have been lower in 1998. Tobramycin (TOB) showed the most potent activity against P aeruginosa (both mucoid and non- mucoid strains). All drugs except ampicillin (ABPC) were active against K. pneumoniae. A quite few of K. pneumoniae showed low susceptibilities.
Also, we investigated year to year changes in the characteristics of patients, their respiratory infectious dis-eases, and the etiology. The examination of age distribution indicated that the proportion of patients with ages over 70 years was 48.6% of all the patients showing a slight increase in every year. About the proportion of diag- nosed diseases as follows: Bacterial pneumonia was the most frequent with 40.2%. The ratio of it has increased slightly, and the increased rate was 10% in patients with ages over 70 years compared with the results in 1997. Chronic bronchitis have decreased slightly with 27.6% in 1998. Number of strains isolated from patients before administration of antibiotics were more than those after administration of them in chronic bronchitis, but these were almost same number in bacterial pneumonia. Administration of antibiotics has changed the results of the frequency of isolation of bacterial species. Bacterial isolations before administration of antibiotics were as follows: S. pneumoniae 26.7%, H. influenzae 23.8%, S. aureus 13.3% and M.(B.) catarrhalis 10.8%. The frequencies of S. aureus decreased after antibiotics administration over 15 days, but the frequencies of P. aeruginosa (both mucoid and non-mucoid) was not affected.

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susceptibilities to various antimicrobial agents were examined for Enterococcus faecalis, Staphyloooccus aureus, Echerichia coli, Klebsiella spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa that were isolated from patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs) in 9 hospitals during June 1998 to May 1999, and the results were compared with those obtained during the same period from 1990 to 1997 in uncomplicated UTIs and complicated UTIs.
Among E. faecalis strains, those with low susceptibilities to almost drugs have increased in the latest period. All 5 S. aureus strains isolated from uncomplicated UTIs were the most susceptible to gentamicin (GM). Over 50% of S. aureus strains isolated from complicated UTIs were susceptible to GM, and on the contrary the resistant strains have increased with the MIC₉₀ of 256μg/ml or above. Among S. aureus strains isolated from complicated UTIs, those with low susceptibilities to arbekacin (ABK) have increased in the latest period compared to those during period of 1996-1997, and the MIC90s of them have changed into the lower state from 1μg/ml in 1996-1997 to 4μg/ml in 1998. S. aureus strains have continued high susceptibilities to vancomycin (VCM). The susceptibilities to minocycline (MINO) of E. coli showed MIC₉₀: 4μg/ml in 1997, but those have returned in the latest period in uncomplicated UTIs. The MIC₉₀s of ofloxacin (OFLX) to E. coli isolated from uncomplicated and complicated UTIs have been lower 2-3 classes in the latest period than those in 1997. Among Klebsiella spp. strains isolated from uncomplicated UTIs, those with low susceptibilities to almost cephems had increased in 1997, but few of them were detected in the latest study. The sensitive strains of P. aeruginosa to almost drugs have increased during the latest period. The MIC₅₀s of cefozopran (CZOP) and OFLX against P. aeruginosa were the best in our history. The sensitive strains of P aeruginosa to ceftazidime (CAZ) have increased and its percentage was 30%. Piperacilline (PIPC), cefoperazone (CPZ), GM and OFLX resistant P. a ruginosa strains have increased in the latest period.

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