Antimicrobial Resistance of Shigella Isolated in New York City in 1973

Abstract

One hundred and two Shigella sonnei and fourteen S. flexneri strains isolated from individual patients in New York City hospitals were investigated for antibiotic resistance. The S. sonnei showed 60% resistance to ampicillin and 58% to tetracycline and streptomycin. S. flexneri showed no ampicillin resistance but 50% resistance to tetracycline. There were marked differences in resistance of S. sonnei between hospitals which were not explainable by ethnic or socio-economic differences in the patient populations.