Serotype distribution and susceptibility to penicillin and erythromycin among noninvasive or colonization isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae in northern Japan: a cross-sectional study in the pre-PCV7 routine immunization period.

Distribution of serotypes, prevalence of resistance to penicillin and/or erythromycin (EM), and its genetic traits were analyzed for a total of 1,061 noninvasive or colonization isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae (998 and 61 isolates from children and adults, respectively) in Hokkaido, northern main island of Japan, in the year 2011, the pre-PCV7 routine immunization period. Serotype deduction was performed by sequential multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR), employing mutagenic PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism for discrimination of 6A/C and 6B/D. Unaltered three PBP genes and macrolide resistance genes erm(B) and mef(A/E) were detected by multiplex PCR. Among isolates from children, 25 serotypes, including the prevalent types 6B (17.5%), 19F (15.6%), 23F (12.2%), and 6C (11.6%), were identified, revealing the PCV7 and PCV13 coverage rates as 48.2% and 60.3%, respectively, while serotype 3 was the most frequent (19.0%) among isolates from adults. Most of the pediatric isolates (96.8%) exhibited resistance to EM (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC], ≥1 μg/ml), with a higher prevalence of erm(B) (67.2%) than mef(A/E) (39.7%). erm(B) was associated with high-level EM resistance (MIC, ≥128 μg/ml) and distributed at high detection rates to major serotypes 23F (85.2%) and 6B (85.1%), as well as minor serotypes 3, 10A, 14, 15B, 15C, 19A, and 23A (>90%). While penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae (PRSP) (penicillin G-MIC, 2-3 μg/ml) was detected in 7.8% of isolates from children, the most common PBP gene genotype was gPRSP (three altered genes pbp1a, 2x, and 2b; 38.3%), which was detected at higher rates (>60%) in the dominant serotypes 23F, 6B, and 19F, and minor serotypes 6D and 15A. Dominant serotypes in the S. pneumoniae isolates were generally similar to those reported for invasive strains, despite lower coverage rates by PCV7/13. The importance of further surveillance on incidence and drug resistance in the post-PCV7 period was suggested for non-PCV7/13 serotypes 6C, 6D, 10A, 15A, 15B, 15C, 23A, and 35B.