Detection, Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Serotyping of <i>Streptococcus pneumoniae</i> from Cerebrospinal Fluid Specimens from Suspected Meningitis Patients

Authors

  • M Rabiul Alam Department of Microbiology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
  • Samir Kumar Saha Department of Microbiology, Bangladesh Institute of Child Health, Dhaka Shishu (Children) Hospital, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh
  • Tania Nasreen Food Microbiology Section, Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST), Bangladesh Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (BCSIR), Dr Qudrat-e-Khuda Road, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh
  • Farzana Latif Department of Microbiology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
  • Sabita Rezwana Rahman Department of Microbiology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
  • Donald James Gomes Department of Microbiology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3329/bjm.v24i1.1232

Keywords:

Pyogenic meningitis, Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), Streptococcus pneumoniae Immunochromatographic test (ICT), Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Serotying

Abstract

Pneumococcal meningitis is the most important cause of community-acquired meningitis in children resulting in high morbidity and mortality worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate immunochromatographic test (ICT), a rapid detection method, for pneumococci in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and also to assess antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the clinical isolates. The findings of CSF-ICT of suspected meningitis cases were also compared with the results of CSF culture, latex agglutination test (LAT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Among these diagnostic methods, ICT and PCR showed 100% specificity. A total of 401 CSF specimens were cultured but culture positivity was observed with 55 (13.7%) cases in which Streptococcus pneumoniae was identified from 20 (36.4%) culture-positive cases. A remarkably high resistance rate to gentamicin (95%) and cotrimoxazole (60%) among the invasive strains of S. pneumoniae was observed, while none of the isolates exhibited resistance to penicillin, ceftriaxone and chloramphenicol by disk diffusion test. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) showed similar susceptibility pattern. The invasive strains (n = 18) belonged to 9 different serotypes including 1, 2, 4, 34, 12A, 38, 19F, 35A and 45. The prevalent serotypes were 2 (23.5%), 1 (17.6%) and 45 (11.8%). The study shows that a remarkable proportion of meningitis cases in children are caused by S. pneumoniae. Diagnostic methods like ICT and PCR can be considered as effective methods for the detection of pneumococcal meningitis even with the patients who have been treated with empirical antibiotics. Ceftriaxone is a safe choice for empirical therapy, while the use of cotrimoxazole for the treatment of meningitis infections is debatable.

Keywords: Pyogenic meningitis, Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), Streptococcus pneumoniae Immunochromatographic test (ICT), Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Serotying

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjm.v24i1.1232

Bangladesh J Microbiol, Volume 24, Number 1, June 2007, pp 24-29

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How to Cite

Alam, M. R., Saha, S. K., Nasreen, T., Latif, F., Rahman, S. R., & Gomes, D. J. (2008). Detection, Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Serotyping of <i>Streptococcus pneumoniae</i> from Cerebrospinal Fluid Specimens from Suspected Meningitis Patients. Bangladesh Journal of Microbiology, 24(1), 24–29. https://doi.org/10.3329/bjm.v24i1.1232

Issue

Vol. 24 No. 1 (2007)

Section

Articles