Antimicrobial susceptibility of Prevotella isolates from abscesses of fascial spaces of the face and neck Susceptibilitatea antimicrobiana a izolatelor de Prevotella din abcese ale ale spatiului fascial al feŃei şi gîtului

The aim of the present study was to investigate the antimicrobial susceptibility of a collection of 65 Prevotella strains originating from Romanian patients with abscesses of fascial spaces of the face and neck. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of benzylpenicillin, cefoxitin, clindamycin and metronidazole were determined with the Etest. In addition, the beta-lactamase production was assessed by using a chromogenic cephalosporin disc method. The isolates were sensitive to all antibiotics, except for 13 strains which were resistant to benzylpenicillin, due to their beta-lactamase activity. The results of this local investigation on the susceptibility patterns of Prevotella clinical isolates suggest that the combination penicillin beta-lactamase inhibitor, clindamycin and metronidazole should be recommended in infections produced by these bacteria. The findings of the present study also underline the importance of covering both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, including betalactamase producers, with the antimicrobial treatment, when it is needed and prescribed empirically in the oral and maxillofacial infections, which are known to be mostly mixed infections.