Molecular characteristics of serotype 3 Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates among community-acquired pneumonia patients in Japan.
In order to understand the spread of the erythromycin-resistant serotype 3 Streptococcus pneumoniae clone in Japan, we have assessed the molecular characteristics of this clone. Among 156 S. pneumoniae isolates recovered from adults with community-acquired pneumonia between 2003 and 2005, 42 were serotype 3 and 40 were sequence type (ST) 180/Netherlands(3)-31 by multilocus sequence typing. Thirty-eight of the 40 ST 180 isolates had acquired resistance to erythromycin via the ermB gene. Although the ermB-positive ST180 clone isolates were more susceptible to penicillin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole than ermB-positive non-ST180 isolates and contained a less mutated pbp1a or pbp2b gene, without a mefA gene, the ST180 clone was highly prevalent among ermB-positive isolates. Routine surveillance for the ST180 S. pneumoniae clone may soon become necessary.
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 54 Kawahara, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
Rie
R
Isozumi
Yutaka
Y
Ito
Tadashi
T
Ishida
Toyohiro
T
Hirai
Isao
I
Ito
Ko
K
Maniwa
Michio
M
Hayashi
Hitoshi
H
Kagioka
Masataka
M
Hirabayashi
Koichi
K
Onaru
Hiromi
H
Tomioka
Keisuke
K
Tomii
Iwao
I
Gohma
Makoto
M
Osawa
Seiichiro
S
Imai
Shunji
S
Takakura
Yoshitsugu
Y
Iinuma
Kazuo
K
Chin
Satoshi
S
Ichiyama
Michiaki
M
Mishima
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D011018:Pneumonia, Pneumococcal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D012703:Serotyping / Q000379:methods; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008780:Methyltransferases; C431709:ErmA protein, Bacteria