Introduction. Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the leading causes of
bacterial meningitis and sepsis. Invasive pneumococcal disease is a
significant medical problem worldwide, particularly in children, due to a
huge increase of pneumococcal resistance to antibiotics. Objective. The aim
of the study was to investigate the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of
invasive pneumococcal isolates, as well as to determine whether decreased S.
pneumoniae susceptibility to antibiotics was related to a particular
serotype. Methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility to 19 antibiotics was
determined in 58 invasive pneumococcal strains that were collected from seven
regional centers during the period July 2009 to February 2011 in the National
Reference Laboratory for streptococci and pneumococci. Results. The overall
nonsusceptibility rate to penicillin was detected in 34% of pneumococcal
isolates and to erythromycin in 36%. Higher resistance rates were observed
among children than among adults. Penicillin resistance rate was 65% in
children versus 22% in adults, while erythromycin nonsusceptibility rate was
47% in children versus 32% in adults. Co-resistance to penicillin and
erythromycin was detected in 21% strains, mostly isolated from children.
Multiresistance was found in one third of isolates. All strains were
susceptible to vancomycin, linezolid, fluoroquinolones, telithromycin and
rifampicin, while 23 (40%) isolates were susceptible to all tested
antibiotics. The most common resistant serotypes were 19F and 14. Conclusion.
The study has revealed that penicillin and macrolide resistance among
invasive pneumococcal isolates is very high in Serbia. This emphasizes the
need for continuous monitoring for invasive pneumococcal disease to document
the serotype distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern.
Serotype distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae associated with invasive pneumococcal disease among adults in Japan
