Antibiotic resistance among nasopharyngeal isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae–Bangui, Central African Republic, 1995

Approximately 4 million children aged < 5 years die worldwide each year from acute respiratory infections (ARI), most of which are pneumonia. Most pneumonia deaths result from bacterial infections, and Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) and Haemophilus influenzae (HI) are the most common bacterial etiologies. To provide data about antibiotic resistance and to assist the National ARI Control Program of the Central African Republic (CAR) (1995 population: 2.9 million) in choosing which antibiotics to recommend for the treatment of pneumonia in children aged < 5 years, a survey of the antibiotic resistance of nasopharyngeal (NP) isolates of SP and HI cultured from children residing in Bangui (1995 population: 451,000), CAR, was conducted during January 16-February 8, 1995, by the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MOPHP) in collaboration with epidemiologists from CDC and microbiologists from the South African Institute for Medical Research. Bangui is the capital of and the largest city in CAR. The decision to measure resistance rates among NP isolates was based on the results of a study indicating that resistance rates of SP and HI isolates cultured from NP swabs were similar to rates measured among isolates cultured from blood. This report summarizes the results of that survey, which indicated that SP and HI had relatively low resistance rates to penicillin, ampicillin, cotrimoxazole (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole), and chloramphenicol.