Antimicrobial resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae, Taiwan

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Published on: September 25, 2014

Po-Ren Hsueh1, Kwen-Tay Luh

  • 1National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan. hsporen@ha.mc.ntu.edu.tw

Emerging Infectious Diseases
|December 25, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Antibiotic resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae is a significant global health concern. Taiwan faces high rates of drug-resistant pneumococcus, impacting treatment of common infections.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Antimicrobial Resistance

Background:

  • Taiwan exhibits high rates of antibiotic-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae globally.
  • Resistance to penicillin was first observed in Taiwan in 1986.
  • By 1995, increased resistance to multiple antibiotics and multidrug resistance emerged.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To document the trends and characteristics of antibiotic resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae in Taiwan.
  • To highlight the emergence of novel resistance patterns and the impact of specific clones.

Main Methods:

  • Surveillance of pneumococcal isolates.
  • Monitoring of antibiotic susceptibility patterns.
  • Tracking of specific resistant clones (e.g., 23F, 19F).

Main Results:

  • Sustained high-level resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics.
  • Continued increase in macrolide resistance.
  • Emergence of fluoroquinolone resistance in recent years.
  • Widespread distribution of novel resistant 23F and 19F clones.

Conclusions:

  • Antibiotic selective pressure drives increasing resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae.
  • The spread of specific resistant clones exacerbates the resistance problem.
  • Antibiotic resistance in this key pathogen poses a serious threat to public health, particularly for community-acquired infections and meningitis.

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