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Clinical Trial
. 2016 Mar 30;11(3):e0152640.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0152640. eCollection 2016.

Streptococcus pyogenes Pneumonia in Adults: Clinical Presentation and Molecular Characterization of Isolates 2006-2015

Esther Tamayo  1 , Milagrosa Montes  1   2 , Diego Vicente  1   2 , Emilio Pérez-Trallero  1   2   3
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Streptococcus pyogenes Pneumonia in Adults: Clinical Presentation and Molecular Characterization of Isolates 2006-2015

Esther Tamayo et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Introduction: In the preantibiotic era Streptococcus pyogenes was a common cause of severe pneumonia but currently, except for postinfluenza complications, it is not considered a common cause of community-acquired pneumonia in adults.

Aim and material and methods: This study aimed to identify current clinical episodes of S. pyogenes pneumonia, its relationship with influenza virus circulation and the genotypes of the involved isolates during a decade in a Southern European region (Gipuzkoa, northern Spain). Molecular analysis of isolates included emm, multilocus-sequence typing, and superantigen profile determination.

Results: Forty episodes were detected (annual incidence 1.1 x 100,000 inhabitants, range 0.29-2.29). Thirty-seven episodes were community-acquired, 21 involved an invasive infection and 10 developed STSS. The associated mortality rate was 20%, with half of the patients dying within 24 hours after admission. Influenza coinfection was confirmed in four patients and suspected in another. The 52.5% of episodes occurred outside the influenza seasonal epidemic. The 67.5% of affected persons were elderly individuals and adults with severe comorbidities, although 13 patients had no comorbidities, 2 of them had a fatal outcome. Eleven clones were identified, the most prevalent being emm1/ST28 (43.6%) causing the most severe cases.

Conclusions: S. pyogenes pneumonia had a continuous presence frequently unrelated to influenza infection, being rapidly fatal even in previously healthy individuals.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Annual distribution of adult Streptococcus pyogenes pneumonia episodes (n = 40) and involved clones.
Gipuzkoa, Spain, 2006–2015.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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