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Updated: Jul 1, 2025
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Constructing Mutants in Serotype 1 Streptococcus pneumoniae strain 519/43
Published on: September 11, 2020
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[A multi-center epidemiological study on pneumococcal meningitis in children from 2019 to 2020]
Cai-Yun Wang1, Hong-Mei Xu, Gang Liu
1Department of Infectious Diseases, Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310052, China (Chen Y-H, Email: cyh18@zju.edu. cn).
Summary
Pneumococcal meningitis (PM) in children under 3 years old presents with fever and complications like subdural effusion, especially in infants. Streptococcus pneumoniae remains sensitive to vancomycin, linezolid, and meropenem.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Microbiology
- Clinical Neurology
Background:
- Pneumococcal meningitis (PM) remains a significant cause of childhood morbidity and mortality.
- Understanding the clinical spectrum and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) is crucial for effective management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of pediatric PM in China.
- To determine the drug sensitivity of SP isolates causing meningitis in children.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 160 hospitalized children (<15 years) with PM from 2019-2020.
- Inclusion of clinical, laboratory, and microbiological data from 33 tertiary hospitals.
- Evaluation of SP isolation rates, detection methods, clinical manifestations, complications, and antimicrobial susceptibility.
Main Results:
- PM predominantly affected children aged 3 months to under 3 years (68.1%).
- Common symptoms included fever (91.9%), lethargy (61.3%), and vomiting (38.1%).
- Intracranial complications, particularly subdural effusion/empyema (26.9%) and hydrocephalus (15.0%), were more frequent in infants (<1 year).
- SP isolates showed high sensitivity to vancomycin, linezolid, and meropenem, but low sensitivity to penicillin and resistance to erythromycin.
- Non-culture methods improved pathogen detection rates.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric PM is most common in young children (3 months to <3 years), with infants (<1 year) at higher risk for intracranial complications.
- Fever is the primary symptom, and subdural effusion/empyema and hydrocephalus are the most frequent complications.
- Vancomycin, linezolid, and meropenem are effective treatments, while resistance to penicillin and erythromycin is a concern.
- Advanced detection methods enhance pathogen identification.
