Pneumococcal serotype distribution and antibiotic susceptibility in Malaysia: A four-year study (2014–2017) on invasive paediatric isolates. (March 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Arushothy, Revathy; Ahmad, Norazah; Amran, Fairuz; Hashim, Rohaidah; Samsudin, Nazirah; Azih, Che Roslina Che
• Is Part Of: International journal of infectious diseases. Volume 80(2019)
• Page Start: 129
• Page End: 133
• Publication Date: 2019-03
• Subjects: Streptococcus pneumoniae -- Children -- Serotype -- Antibiotic -- PCV -- Malaysia; Communicable diseases -- Periodicals; Communicable Diseases -- Periodicals; Communicable diseases; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 616.9
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2018.12.009
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1201-9712

Abstract

Highlights: Local data on the pneumococcal serotype distribution in Malaysia are limited. Vaccine coverage was highest for PCV13 in Malaysia for the population of children ≤5 years of age. Penicillin resistance was lower in comparison to erythromycin, co-trimoxazole, and tetracycline resistance. Abstract: Objective: This study was performed to analyze the serotype distribution of Streptococcus pneumoniae causing invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in children aged 5 years and under in Malaysia and to assess the antimicrobial resistance. Methods: From 2014 to 2017, a total of 245 invasive S. pneumoniae isolates from children ≤5 years of age were received from hospitals all around Malaysia. All isolates were identified and subjected to serotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Results: Of the 245 isolates, 117 (48.0%) were from children aged <1 year, 46 (19.05%) were from children aged 1–2 years, and 82 (33.0%) were from children aged 2–5 years. The most common serotypes were 14 (26.9%), 6B (19.6%), 19A (11.8%), 6A (10.6%), and 19F (6.9%) and vaccine coverage was 88.2% for PCV13, 64.1% for PCV10, and 63.3% for PCV7. Resistance to penicillin was 0.2% for non-meningitis cases and 22.2% for meningitis cases; erythromycin resistance was reported in 42.9%, co-trimoxazole in 35.9%, and tetracycline in 42.9%. Conclusions: Serotypes 14, 6B, 19A, 6A, and 19F were the most common serotypes isolated from children with IPD in Malaysia during this pre-vaccination era. The lack of reports on the serotype distribution has limited action for the implementation of PCV in the national immunization programme (NIP). The information from this study may benefit future policies for the introduction of PCV in the Malaysian NIP and ultimately may reduce the morbidity and mortality among children in Malaysia.