Serotype and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae causing invasive disease in The Gambia 1996-2003.
Adegbola, Richard A;
Hill, Philip C;
Secka, Ousman;
Ikumapayi, Usman N;
Lahai, George;
Greenwood, Brian M;
Corrah, Tumani;
(2006)
Serotype and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae causing invasive disease in The Gambia 1996-2003.
Tropical medicine & international health, 11 (7).
pp. 1128-1135.
ISSN 1360-2276
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3156.2006.01652.x
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OBJECTIVES: To describe the characteristics of pneumococcal isolates obtained from patients with invasive pneumococcal disease in The Gambia. METHODS: Pneumococcal isolates were obtained from children aged < or =6 years with invasive pneumococcal disease during a Haemophilus influenzae vaccine effectiveness study (1997-2002) and from patients with invasive pneumococcal disease admitted to the MRC hospital, Fajara, for routine care (1996-2003). Isolates were identified, serotyped and tested for antibiotic susceptibility. RESULTS: Five hundred and thirty one pneumococcal isolates were obtained from 518 patients; 55 (10.6%) patients died; 415 isolates (79%) were from blood culture, 84 (16%) from CSF, and 42 (8%) from lung aspirates. Forty serogroups and serotypes were identified; six accounted for 64% and 16 for 86% of all episodes; 33.7% were of serotypes 1 and 5. 23.5% were of a 7-valent vaccine serotype, 57.1% were of a 9-valent vaccine serotype; 56% were of a 7-valent serogroup and 78% were of a 9-valent serogroup. There was a significant increase in the proportion of isolates of non-vaccine serogroup with increasing age (P < 0.0001). Antibiotic resistance had not significantly increased over time; but intermediate non-susceptibility to penicillin had risen and resistance to chloramphenicol had fallen in isolates of vaccine serotype compared with those of non-vaccine serotype. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of invasive pneumococcal disease in The Gambia is caused by pneumococci of relatively few serogroups. A conjugate vaccine would be expected to reduce the pneumococcal disease burden substantially and to have a beneficial effect on pneumococcal antibiotic resistance to penicillins.