[Evaluation of drug sensitivity and biochemical properties of coagulase-negative S. aureus strains isolated from clinical specimens].

20-25% of strains isolated in our hospital in 1991 from clinical specimens and identified as S. aureus were coagulase-negative. These strains were characterized in respect of biochemical properties and resistance to antibacterial drugs. It was shown that the investigated group of strains displayed high drug resistance and particularly high percent of strains were resistant to methicillin (60%). 100% strains were resistant to penicillin and tetracyclines and most of them were resistant to aminocyclitol antibiotics. Coagulase-negative strains, in comparison with coagulase-positive, less frequently produced hemolysins and more frequently staphylokinase.