title: Characterization of a multidrug-resistant clone of invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 6B in Alaska by using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and PspA serotyping.
abstract: Antimicrobial susceptibility, pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) serotyping, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) were used to evaluate clonal relatedness among 66 invasive isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 6B collected during 1982-1996 from patients in Alaska. Thirty-seven (56%) of the isolates had penicillin minimal inhibitory concentration values >/=0.125 microgram/mL and were resistant to at least 1 other antibiotic. Fourteen PspA serotypes were observed; PspA 16 was the most common (35%). Forty-five (68%) of the 66 isolates shared common and highly related PFGE patterns using 3 enzymes. Twenty-six (58%) of the isolates with common PFGE patterns were from Native Alaskan children </=2 years of age residing in 1 region of Alaska. Alaskan serotype 6B had distinct PFGE patterns, compared with the South African 6B-8 and Spanish 6B-2 multidrug-resistant clones, suggesting that the Alaskan 6B isolates were distinct from these other pneumococcal 6B clones but were genetically related to each other [corrected].
authors.affiliation: Molecular Diagnostics Lab, Arctic Investigations Program, Anchorage, AK 990508, USA. kmr2@cdc.gov
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Rudolph
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Crain
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Parkinson
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Roberts
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000413:Alaska; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D018432:Drug Resistance, Multiple; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D012703:Serotyping; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C051592:pneumococcal surface protein A