β-Lactamase production and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of Moraxella catarrhalis isolates collected from two county hospitals in China

Background Moraxella catarrhalis (M. catarrhalis) is an important bacterial pathogen. However, its antibiotic susceptibility patterns in different areas are difficult to compare because of the use of different methods and judgement criteria. This study aimed to determine antimicrobial susceptibility and β-lactamase activity characteristics of M. catarrhalis isolates collected from two county hospitals in China, and to express the results with reference to three commonly used judgement criteria.