Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae as an emerging respiratory tract pathogen at Assiut University hospitals

Zeinab Ibraheem Sayed; Mohamed Fawzy Abdel-Ghany; Shabaan Hashem Ahmed; Amany Mohmed Adawy; Rawhia Fathy Abd  El–Hamid

doi:10.18502/ijm.v14i5.10957

Zeinab Ibraheem Sayed Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
Mohamed Fawzy Abdel-Ghany Department of Chest, School of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
Shabaan Hashem Ahmed Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
Amany Mohmed Adawy Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
Rawhia Fathy Abd El–Hamid Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijm.v14i5.10957

Keywords: Streptococcus; Respiratory tract diseases; Polymerase chain reaction

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae is a member of viridans streptococci. It is non-capsulated, bile insoluble and optochinsusceptible in ambient air but resistant in 5% CO . This study aimed to isolate S. pseudopneu- moniae from sputum specimens of patients admitted to ChestDepartment and Chest ICU of Assiut University hospitals, differentiate it from Streptococcus pneumoniae in addition, to evaluate the prevalence of Streptococcuspseudopneumoniae in clinical isolates by phenotypic and genotypic methods, to subject the isolates to antimicrobial susceptibility testing using agar disc diffusionmethod.

Materials and Methods: Isolation of Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae from sputum sample and doing phenotypic test (op- tochin susceptibility test,bilesusceptibility test and antimicrobial susceptibility test) and genotypic test by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for five genes: CpsA, LytA, AliB-like ORF2, 16S rRNA and Spn9802 genes.

Results: Twenty isolates of S. pseudopneumoniae were diagnosed phenotypically by optochin susceptibility and bile solu- bility tests followed by genotypiccharacterization by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for five genes: CpsA, LytA, AliB-like ORF2, 16S rRNA and Spn9802 genes. The prevalence of S. pseudopneumoniae among studied patients was 10% (20/200).

Conclusion: The pure growth of S. pseudopneumoniae from sputum samples together with thegreat percentage of antibiotic resistance should raise attention to the clinical importance of this organism.