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[Neisseria meningitidis with low sensitivity to penicillin]
I Sanfeliú Sala1, T Juncosa Morros, C Latorre Otin
1Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital San Juan de Dios, Barcelona.
Abstract:
Authors study 464 strains of N. meningitidis isolated from cerebrospinal fluid and/or blood of children with meningococcal disease in a childrens' hospital in Barcelona from January 1979 to September 1986. These strains are distributed in four serogroups and eight serotypes, being serogroup B and serotype 2 the most frequent ones. Authors have isolated 4 strains with decreased penicillin susceptibility, three with a MIC of 0.2 microgram/ml and one with a MIC of 0.4 microgram/ml. All four belong to serogroup B, three to serotype 1 and one was non-typable. This alert on possible therapeutic failures that could emerge in next future and implies the necessity of in vitro testing susceptibility of all strains of N. meningitidis isolated from pathologic products in order to detect possible resistances.
Insights
This study analyzed Neisseria meningitidis strains from children with meningitis. Four strains showed decreased penicillin susceptibility, highlighting the need for routine susceptibility testing to prevent treatment failures.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Bacteriology
Background:
- Neisseria meningitidis is a significant cause of bacterial meningitis.
- Understanding serogroup and serotype distribution is crucial for epidemiology.
- Monitoring antimicrobial susceptibility is essential for effective treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize Neisseria meningitidis strains isolated from pediatric patients.
- To assess the prevalence of penicillin susceptibility among these strains.
- To identify potential emerging resistance patterns.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 464 Neisseria meningitidis isolates from cerebrospinal fluid and blood.
- Serogrouping and serotyping of bacterial strains.
- Determination of penicillin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs).
Main Results:
- Serogroup B and serotype 2 were the most frequent strains.
- Four strains exhibited decreased penicillin susceptibility (MICs of 0.2-0.4 µg/ml).
- Resistant strains were predominantly serogroup B, with three of serotype 1.
Conclusions:
- Emerging penicillin resistance in Neisseria meningitidis poses a therapeutic challenge.
- Routine in vitro susceptibility testing is necessary for all clinical isolates.
- Proactive monitoring can help prevent future treatment failures in meningococcal disease.