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Polymicrobial infections often are associated with the Bacteroides fragilis group, which includes many common and virulent anaerobic human pathogens. Increasing antimicrobial resistance to beta-lactamases and clindamycin has been documented among these pathogens. These investigators report the results of a 1987-1999 retrospective analysis of in-vitro susceptibility to antibiotics among 542 B. fragilis-group blood isolates from 12 U.S. medical centers.
B. fragilis isolates predominated (63%), followed by B. thetaiotaomicron (18%), B. ovatus (10%), B. vulgatus (6%), and B. distasonis (3%). Only metronidazole was active against all test isolates; 22% of the strains were resistant to clindamycin. All strains were resistant to penicillin G, but p…