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Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, February 2008, p. 203-207, Vol. 15, No. 2
1071-412X/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CVI.00277-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Implications of Streptococcus pneumoniae Penicillin Resistance and Serotype Distribution in Kuwait for Disease Treatment and Prevention{triangledown}

Eiman M. Mokaddas,* Vincent O. Rotimi, and M. John Albert

Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Jabriya, Kuwait

Received 7 July 2007/ Returned for modification 11 September 2007/ Accepted 20 November 2007

Streptococcus pneumoniae causes serious infections. Treatment is difficult because of the emergence of penicillin resistance in S. pneumoniae. Pneumococcal vaccines offer the promise of control and prevention of pneumococcal infections. Serotype prevalence and penicillin susceptibility data for a country will predict the usefulness of the vaccines in that country. In Kuwait, the 23-valent polysaccharide and the 7-valent conjugate vaccines are being used without knowledge of the prevalent serotypes in the country. To obtain the necessary background information, data on penicillin susceptibility and serogroups were obtained from 397 consecutive clinical isolates collected during 2004 and 2005. Two hundred fifty-three isolates (64%) were penicillin resistant, and resistance was significantly higher in patients ≤15 years old and among the upper respiratory tract and eye isolates. The most common serotypes were 23F, 19F, 6A, 6B, 14, and 19A. Among the penicillin-resistant strains, the most common serotypes were 23F, 19F, 6B, 14, and 9A. Among the invasive strains, the most common serotypes were 14, 23F, 19A, and 9V. The polysaccharide vaccine gave 82% coverage against invasive infections in all age groups >2 years. The coverage of the 7-valent conjugate vaccine against invasive serotypes in children ≤2 years old was 55%. This moderate coverage by the conjugate vaccine against invasive infections in children necessitates a revised strategy on the use of the present conjugate vaccine and shows the need for formulation of an improved vaccine for superior coverage for Kuwait and possibly other countries of the Arabian Gulf.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 24923, Safat 13110, Kuwait. Phone and fax: (965) 533 2719. E-mail: e.mokaddas{at}hsc.edu.kw

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 12 December 2007.

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, February 2008, p. 203-207, Vol. 15, No. 2
1071-412X/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CVI.00277-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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