Serotype distribution and antibiotic resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates collected from unvaccinated children with pneumonia at a province in central Vietnam

Bui Anh Son; Tang Xuan Hai; Tran Van Cuong; Duong Dinh Chinh; Thi-Hong-Hanh Le; Nguyen Manh Dung; Vu Nhat Dinh; Do Ngoc Anh

doi:10.18502/ijm.v14i5.10958

Bui Anh Son Department of Pediatrics, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, Nghe An, Vietnam
Tang Xuan Hai Department of Pediatrics, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, Nghe An, Vietnam
Tran Van Cuong Department of Pediatrics, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, Nghe An, Vietnam
Duong Dinh Chinh Department of Neurology, Nghe An Friendship General Hospital, Nghe An, Vietnam
Thi-Hong-Hanh Le Department of Respiratory Diseases, National Pediatrics Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
Nguyen Manh Dung Department of Scientific Management, 108 Military Centre Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
Vu Nhat Dinh Department of Trauma and Orthopedic Surgery, 103 Military Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
Do Ngoc Anh Department of Laboratory Medicine, 103 Military Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijm.v14i5.10958

Keywords: Streptococcus pneumoniae; Serotypes; Antibiotic resistance; Children; Pneumonia

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Identification of pnemococcal serotypes and antimicrobial resistance provides helpful infor- mation for the use of suitablevaccines and antibiotics; however, very limited data is available on these issues in Vietnam. The present study aimed to find the serotype distribution and drugresistance patterns of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from unvaccinated children less than 5 years of age with pneumonia at a province in centre Vietnam.

Materials and Methods: A total of 126 clinical pnemococcal strains isolated from unvaccinated children less than 5 years of age with pneumonia at theNghe An province, Vietnam between Nov 2019 and Mar 2021. All strains were identified using conventional microbiological method, VITEK® 2 Compactsystem, specific PCR and sequencing. The serotypes and antimicrobial resistance patterns of pnemococcal strains were determined using the multiplex PCRassays and VITEK® 2 Compact system.

Results: The results showed that, eight different pneumococcal serotypes were identified. The most common serotypes were 19F (67.46%), followed by23F (10.32%), 19A (9.52%), 6A/B (3.17%), 15A (2.38%), 9V (3.17%), 11A (1.59%) and 14 (0.80%), respectively. More than half of the pneumococcal strainswere non-susceptible to penicillin. The resistance rate to ceftriaxone and cefotaxime were 41.3% and 50.8%. The percentage of pneumococci strains resistantto clarithromycin, azi- thromycin, erythromycin, cotrimoxazole, tetracyclin, and clindamycin were more than 93% of all strains. All pneumococcal serotypes were highly resistant to clarithromycin, azithromycin, erythromycin, cotrimoxazole, and clindamycin.

Conclusion: Our findings showed high antibioticresistance rates of the strains causing pneumococcal pneumonia, mostly macrolide resistance, among unvaccinated children.