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Multidrug-Resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae Isolates from Healthy Ghanaian Preschool Children

Nicholas T K D Dayie1,2, Reuben E Arhin1, Mercy J Newman1

  • 11 Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School , Accra, Ghana .

Microbial Drug Resistance (Larchmont, N.Y.)
|July 15, 2015
PubMed

Insights

High antimicrobial resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae strains from Ghanaian children is a concern. This study highlights widespread resistance to common antibiotics, necessitating prudent antimicrobial use to curb the spread of resistant pneumococcal clones.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Streptococcus pneumoniae causes significant childhood mortality globally.
  • Antimicrobial resistance and multidrug-resistant pneumococcal strains pose a growing threat.
  • Ghana lacks comprehensive data on pneumococcal antimicrobial resistance patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the antibiogram of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from Ghanaian children under six.
  • To investigate the association between antimicrobial resistance and specific serotypes/clones.
  • To assess the prevalence of multidrug-resistant pneumococcal strains in Ghana.

Main Methods:

  • Disk diffusion tests were used to assess the susceptibility of 115 pneumococcal isolates to six antimicrobials.
  • Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was performed on 20 highly resistant isolates.
  • Serotyping was conducted to identify specific pneumococcal strains.

Main Results:

  • High resistance rates were observed for penicillin (90.4% intermediate), trimethoprim (99.1%), tetracycline (73.0%), and sulfamethoxazole (33.9%).
  • Low resistance was found for erythromycin (2.6%) and cefotaxime (5.2%).
  • 72.2% of isolates exhibited resistance to penicillin and at least two other antimicrobials, indicating multidrug resistance. MLST revealed 16 diverse clones, none previously linked to multidrug resistance.

Conclusions:

  • Widespread antimicrobial resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae exists among Ghanaian children.
  • The emergence of resistance may be linked to non-prudent antimicrobial use.
  • Monitoring and promoting judicious antimicrobial practices are crucial in Ghana to combat resistance.

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