PspA Family Distribution, Antimicrobial Resistance and Serotype of Streptococcus pneumoniae Isolated from Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Japan

Abstract

BackgroundThe protection against pneumococcal infections provided by currently available pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccines are restricted to the limited number of the serotypes included in the vaccine. In the present study, we evaluated the distribution of the pneumococcal capsular type and surface protein A (PspA) family of pneumococcal isolates from upper respiratory tract infections in Japan.MethodsA total of 251 S. pneumoniae isolates from patients seeking treatment for upper respiratory tract infections were characterized for PspA family, antibiotic resistance and capsular type.ResultsAmong the 251 pneumococci studied, the majority (49.4%) was identified as belonging to PspA family 2, while most of the remaining isolates (44.6%) belonged to family 1. There were no significant differences between the distributions of PspA1 versus PspA2 isolates based on the age or gender of the patient, source of the isolates or the isolates’ susceptibilities to penicillin G. In contrast, the frequency of the mefA gene presence and of serotypes 15B and 19F were statistically more common among PspA2 strains.ConclusionThe vast majority of pneumococci isolated from the middle ear fluids, nasal discharges/sinus aspirates or pharyngeal secretions represented PspA families 1 and 2. Capsular serotypes were generally not exclusively associated with certain PspA families, although some capsular types showed a much higher proportion of either PspA1 or PspA2. A PspA-containing vaccine would potentially provide high coverage against pneumococcal infectious diseases because it would be cross-protective versus invasive disease with the majority of pneumococci infecting children and adults.

Characterisation of a collection of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from patients suffering from acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis: In vitro susceptibility to antibiotics and biofilm formation in relation to antibiotic efflux and serotypes/serogroups

“…This is largely akin to our previous findings for isolates from patients suffering from CAP [14] as well as data from other countries in Europe [26] and the Far East [27,28]. Thus, determination of the prevalent STs/SGs in patients may help in fine-tuning therapy by avoiding the use of antibiotics known to be poorly effective.…”

“…Thus, determination of the prevalent STs/SGs in patients may help in fine-tuning therapy by avoiding the use of antibiotics known to be poorly effective. Determination of the nucleotide sequence of the ␣-helical region of the pneumococcal surface protein (PspA), also proposed as a predictor of multiresistance [28], could not be examined in the context of the present study.…”

Evaluation of Pneumococcal Surface Protein A as a Vaccine Antigen against Secondary Streptococcus pneumoniae Challenge during Influenza A Infection

“…Similarly, vaccination with Pneumovax 23, a pneumococcal polysaccharide-based vaccine without a carrier protein, only protects about 39% to 41% of adults against secondary bacterial infection [10,11]. Recent efforts have been directed towards using pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) as a vaccine candidate since it is highly conserved among the >90 serotypes [12,13]. PspA is classified into three families that consist of six clades [14].…”

Invasive and Noninvasive Streptococcus pneumoniae Capsule and Surface Protein Diversity following the Use of a Conjugate Vaccine

“…While previous studies have looked at pspA frequencies (54)(55)(56)(57)(58), those studies were focused on pre-PCV7 strains, which are no longer representative of the serotypes currently isolated in the United States, or strains from nonpediatric populations (49). In a recent report, we showed that IPD strains collected in Alabama from 2002 to 2010 were of pspA family 1 or family 2 in 96% of cases (6).…”