Insights Into Pneumococcal Pneumonia Using Lung Aspirates and Nasopharyngeal Swabs Collected From Pneumonia Patients in The Gambia

Eileen M Dunne; Yinglei Hua; Rasheed Salaudeen; Ilias Hossain; Malick Ndiaye; Belinda D Ortika; E Kim Mulholland; Jason Hinds; Sam Manna; Grant A Mackenzie; Catherine Satzke

doi:10.1093/infdis/jiaa186

Insights Into Pneumococcal Pneumonia Using Lung Aspirates and Nasopharyngeal Swabs Collected From Pneumonia Patients in The Gambia

J Infect Dis. 2022 Apr 19;225(8):1447-1451. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa186.

Authors

Eileen M Dunne^{1

2}, Yinglei Hua^{1

3}, Rasheed Salaudeen⁴, Ilias Hossain⁴, Malick Ndiaye⁴, Belinda D Ortika¹, E Kim Mulholland^{1

2

5}, Jason Hinds^{6

7}, Sam Manna^{1

2

3}, Grant A Mackenzie^{1

2

4

8}, Catherine Satzke^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Infection and Immunity, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia.
² Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
³ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Parkville, Australia.
⁴ Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Fajara, The Gambia.
⁵ Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
⁶ Institute for Infection and Immunity, St. George's University of London, London, United Kingdom.
⁷ BUGS Bioscience, London Bioscience Innovation Centre, London, United Kingdom.
⁸ Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Background: We investigated the pathogenesis of pneumococcal pneumonia using clinical specimens collected for pneumonia surveillance in The Gambia.

Methods: Lung aspirates and nasopharyngeal swabs from 31 patients were examined by culture, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), whole genome sequencing, serotyping, and reverse-transcription qPCR.

Results: Five lung aspirates cultured pneumococci, with a matching strain identified in the nasopharynx. Three virulence genes including ply (pneumolysin) were upregulated >20-fold in the lung compared with the nasopharynx. Nasopharyngeal pneumococcal density was higher in pediatric pneumonia patients compared with controls (P < .0001).

Conclusions: Findings suggest that changes in pneumococcal gene expression occurring in the lung environment may be important in pathogenesis.

Keywords: Streptococcus pneumoniae; lung; nasopharynx; pneumococcus; pneumonia.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Child
Gambia / epidemiology
Humans
Lung
Nasopharynx
Pneumococcal Infections* / diagnosis
Pneumonia, Pneumococcal* / diagnosis
Streptococcus pneumoniae / genetics