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. 2018 Aug 29;18(1):440.
doi: 10.1186/s12879-018-3341-0.

Distribution of serotypes and patterns of antimicrobial resistance among commensal Streptococcus pneumoniae in nine European countries

Rachid Y Yahiaoui  1   2 , Hester J Bootsma  3 , Casper D J den Heijer  4 , Gerlinde N Pluister  3 , W John Paget  5   6 , Peter Spreeuwenberg  5 , Krzysztof Trzcinski  3   7 , Ellen E Stobberingh  4   3
Affiliations

Distribution of serotypes and patterns of antimicrobial resistance among commensal Streptococcus pneumoniae in nine European countries

Rachid Y Yahiaoui et al. BMC Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a commensal of the human upper respiratory tract and a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. This paper presents the distribution of serotypes and antimicrobial resistance in commensal S. pneumoniae strains cultured from healthy carriers older than four years of age in nine European countries.

Methods: Nasal swabs from healthy persons (age between 4 and 107 years old) were obtained by general practitioners from each country from November 2010 to August 2011. Swabs were cultured for S. pneumoniae using a standardized protocol. Antibiotic resistance was determined for isolated S. pneumoniae by broth microdilution. Capsular sequencing typing was used to identify serotypes, followed by serotype-specific PCR assays in case of ambiguous results.

Results: Thirty-two thousand one hundred sixty-one nasal swabs were collected from which 937 S. pneumoniae were isolated. A large variation in serotype distribution and antimicrobial resistant serotypes across the participating countries was observed. Pneumococcal vaccination was associated with a higher risk of pneumococcal colonization and antimicrobial resistance independently of country and vaccine used, either conjugate vaccine or PPV 23).

Conclusions: Serotype 11A was the most common in carriage followed by serotypes 23A and 19A. The serotypes showing the highest resistance to penicillin were 14 followed by 19A. Serotype 15A showed the highest proportion of multidrug resistance.

Keywords: Carriage; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Vaccination.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Ethical approval for this study has been obtained in all of the participating countries, from the following ethics committees:

  1. Austria: Ethik-Kommission der Medizinischen Universität Wien und des Allgemeinen Krankenhauses der Stadt Wien Akh (number: 568/2010)

  2. Belgium: Commissie Medische Ethiek van de Universitaire Ziekenhuizen K.U.Leuven (number: ML6355)

  3. Croatia: Sveučilišta u Zagrebu Medicinski Fakultet Ethical Committee (number: 04–77/2010–246)

  4. France: Comité de protection des personnes CPP “Ile-de-France III” (number: 2010-A01004–35 (2853))

  5. Hungary: Egészségügyi Tudományos Tanács, Tudományos es Kutatásetikai Bizottság (ETT TUKEB) (number:5635–0/2010-1018EKU (401/PI/010)

  6. The Netherlands: Medisch Ethische Commissie azM/UM (number: MEC 10–4-030.4/pl)

  7. Spain: Clinical Ethics Committee of the IDIAP Jordi Gol and Gurina (number: P10/55)

  8. Sweden: Regionala Etikprövningsnämnden i Linköping (number: 2010–326-31)

All participants provided written informed participatory consent and in the case of children aged less than 16, their parents or guardians provided written informed participatory consent on their behalf.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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