Antibiotic susceptibility testing and molecular characterization based on whole-genome sequencing of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from pediatric infections at the National Regional Medical Center of Southwest China during the COVID-19 pandemic
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a transmitted respiratory pathogen that causes high morbidity and mortality in children, especially those under 5 years of age. During the implementation of population control measures for COVID-19 in mainland China, the Streptococcus pneumoniae detection rate in pediatric patients decreased. However, with the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (2022), the incidence of pneumococcal disease (PD) and even invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) began to rise again.
METHODS: This study was conducted from August 2022 to September 2023 at a national regional medical center based mainly in West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University. The demographic and clinical characteristics of S. pneumoniae-infected pediatric patients were analyzed. All S. pneumoniae isolates were subjected to standardized clinical sample inoculation, culture, subculture, and identification procedures. Next-generation sequencing and analysis were used to determine serotypes and sequence types (STs) and evaluate antibiotic resistance- and virulence-related genes. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined in AST dishes via the broth microdilution method.
RESULTS: The prevalent serotypes in the IPD patients were 14, 6A, and 23F, and the prevalent serotypes in the NIPD patients were 19F and 6A. A significant difference in the proportion of patients with serotype 14 was noted between the two groups. A total of 23 STs were identified and classified into 13…
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