Antimicrobial resistance determinants and susceptibility profiles of pneumococcal isolates recovered in Trinidad and Tobago.

Publication date: Available online 14 August 2017 Source:Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance Author(s): Paulina A. Hawkins, Patrick E. Akpaka, Michele Nurse-Lucas, Rebecca Gladstone, Stephen D. Bentley, Robert F. Breiman, Lesley McGee, William H. Swanston Introduction In Latin America and the Caribbean, pneumococcal infections were estimated to account for 12,000-18,000 deaths, 327,000 cases of pneumonia, 4,000 cases of meningitis and 1,229 cases of sepsis each year in children under five years old. Resistance of pneumococci to antimicrobial agents has evolved into a worldwide health problem in the last few decades. Objective The aim of this study was to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of 98 pneumococcal isolates collected in Trinidad and Tobago and associated genetic determinants. Methods Whole genome sequences were obtained from 98 pneumococcal isolates recovered at several regional hospitals, including 83 invasive and 15 non-invasive strains, recovered before (n=25) and after (n=73) the introduction of two pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. A bioinformatics pipeline was used to identify core genomic and accessory elements that conferred antimicrobial resistance phenotypes, including β-lactam non-susceptibility. Results and discussion: Forty-one (41.8%) isolates were predicted as resistant to at least one antimicrobial class, including 13 (13.3%) isolates resistant to at least three classes. The most common serotypes associated with an...
Source: Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research