Nasopharyngeal swabs were taken from 292 Palestinian children under five years of age in order to determine the nasopharyngeal colonization rate, pattern, and antibiotic sensitivity of the bacterial isolates to the commonly used antibiotics. Results indicate the following nasopharyngeal colonization rates: Streptococcus pneumonia 43%, Hemophilus influenza type b (Hib) 38%, Moraxella catarrhalis (M. Catarrhalis 42%. In-vitro sensitivity patterns to Ampicillin, Chloramphenicol and Cotrimoxazole for S. pneumonia were 63%, 91% and 19%, respectively while for Hib they were 50%, 77% and 64%, respectively.

Bull. Palest. Ch. Soc., 1995, 1:3, 225-234, 1995, 10 pp.