Primary peritonitis due to Streptococcus pyogenes with reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolones

Alexandra Doloy1, Claire Godin, Jean-Winoc Decousser

  • 1Microbiologie, Centre Hospitalier de Versailles, Le Chesnay 78157, France.

Insights

This study details the first reported case of primary peritonitis caused by Streptococcus pyogenes with decreased fluoroquinolone susceptibility. The infection led to treatment failure, highlighting a concerning antimicrobial resistance trend.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Primary peritonitis is a serious infection, typically caused by bacterial translocation.
  • Streptococcus pyogenes is a known pathogen, but rarely causes primary peritonitis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To report the first case of primary peritonitis due to fluoroquinolone-resistant Streptococcus pyogenes.
  • To investigate the genetic basis of fluoroquinolone resistance in the causative strain.

Main Methods:

  • Clinical case reporting.
  • Microbiological culture and identification of Streptococcus pyogenes.
  • Antimicrobial susceptibility testing, including fluoroquinolones.
  • DNA sequencing of gyrA and parC genes.

Main Results:

  • A healthy woman developed primary peritonitis caused by Streptococcus pyogenes.
  • The isolate exhibited reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolones.
  • Clinical and microbiological treatment failure occurred.
  • DNA sequencing identified three specific substitutions in the ParC protein (Ser80Pro, Asp91Asn, Ser140Pro).

Conclusions:

  • This case represents the first instance of primary peritonitis caused by Streptococcus pyogenes with reduced fluoroquinolone susceptibility.
  • The identified genetic mutations in ParC are associated with fluoroquinolone resistance.
  • This finding underscores the emerging threat of antimicrobial resistance in Streptococcus pyogenes infections.

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