Spread of ceftriaxone non-susceptible pneumococci in South Korea: Long-term care facilities as a potential reservoir

PLoS One. 2019 Jan 30;14(1):e0210520. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210520. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

Despite the availability of a pneumococcal National Immunization Program, which provides free PPSV23 vaccination for older adults aged ≥65 years in South Korea, pneumococcal pneumonia remains one of the most common respiratory infections, with increasing antimicrobial resistance. From January to December in 2015, all pneumococcal isolates were collected from a 1,050-bed teaching hospital in South Korea. All isolates were analyzed for serotype, genotype, and antimicrobial susceptibility. Demographic, clinical and microbiological data were compared between ceftriaxone susceptible and non-susceptible cases. Among 92 microbiologically identified pneumococcal isolates, ceftriaxone non-susceptible pneumococci (CNSP) accounted for 32 cases (34.8%). Some of these cases also showed levofloxacin resistance (25%, 8/32 isolates) and all CNSP cases were multidrug resistant. Compared to patients with ceftriaxone susceptible pneumococci (CSP), long-term care facility residents (odds ratio [OR] 7.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.8-62.1) and patients with chronic lung (OR 4.1, 95% CI 1.1-15.0) and renal diseases (OR 9.1, 95% CI 1.2-70.5) were more common among those with CNSP on multivariate analysis. PPSV23-unique serotypes not included in PCV13 were more common in CNSP than in CSP (34.4% versus 13.3%, p = 0.02). Regarding genotypes, ST320 (10 cases), ST166 (7 cases) and ST8279 (3 cases) were dominant in CNSP, and ST8279 was only detected in previous long-term care facility residents. Clonal expansion and spread of CNSP strains should be monitored among patients with chronic lung/renal diseases and residents of long-term care facilities.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Assisted Living Facilities / standards
  • Assisted Living Facilities / statistics & numerical data
  • Ceftriaxone / pharmacology
  • Ceftriaxone / therapeutic use*
  • Disease Reservoirs / microbiology
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial*
  • Female
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Immunization Programs
  • Male
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Middle Aged
  • Pneumococcal Infections / microbiology
  • Pneumococcal Infections / prevention & control*
  • Republic of Korea
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae / drug effects*
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae / genetics
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae / physiology
  • Vaccination

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Ceftriaxone

Grants and funding

This work was supported by a Korea University grant.