title: Phenotypic and molecular analysis of penicillin-nonsusceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates in Poland.
abstract: beta-Lactams are the drugs of choice for the treatment of infections caused by the important bacterial pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. The recent growth of resistance of this organism to penicillin observed worldwide is of the highest concern. In this study, using 887 surveillance pneumococcal isolates recovered in Poland from 1998 to 2002, we observed the increase in penicillin nonsusceptibility from 8.7% to 20.3%. All of the 109 penicillin-nonsusceptible S. pneumoniae (PNSP) isolates identified, together with 22 archival PNSP isolates from 1995 to 1997, were subsequently analyzed by susceptibility testing, serotyping, profiling of pbp genes, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Four predominant serotypes, serotypes 6B, 9V, 14, and 23F, characterized 85.5% of the isolates. MLST revealed the presence of 34 sequence types, 15 of which were novel types. Representatives of seven multiresistant international clones (Spain(23F)-1, Spain(6B)-2, Spain(9V)-3, Taiwan(23F)-15, Poland(23F)-16, Poland(6B)-20, and Sweden(15A)-25) or their closely related variants comprised the majority of the study isolates. The spread of Spain(9V)-3 and its related clone of serotype 14/ST143 has remarkably contributed to the recent increase in penicillin resistance in pneumococci in the country.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Microbiology, National Institute of Public Health, Ul. Chełmska 30/34, 00-725 Warsaw, Poland. ewasadowy@cls.edu.pl
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sadowy
authors.forename: Radoslaw
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Izdebski
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Skoczynska
authors.forename: Pawel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Grzesiowski
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gniadkowski
authors.forename: Waleria
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hryniewicz
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010403:Penicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics*; D010406:Penicillins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010641:Phenotype; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D011044:Poland; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012703:Serotyping; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D047090:beta-Lactams / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010406:Penicillins; D047090:beta-Lactams