Molecular Detection and Serotyping of in Children with Suspected Meningitis in Northeast Iran.

BACKGROUND

To date, more than 90 () capsular serotypes are known. The prevalence of these serotypes varies according to the geographical area and the regional vaccination program. Due to the lack of regular vaccination programs for in developing countries, serotyping of the prevalent isolates is useful in selecting the correct vaccine. The present study aimed to evaluate common serotypes of pneumococcal meningitis in Bojnurd, Iran.

METHODS

All cerebrospinal fluid (CFS) samples suspected for bacterial meningitis were analyzed. The samples were collected during 2014-2018 in the Laboratory of Imam Reza Hospital (Bojnurd, Iran). Due to the high rate of false-negative cultures, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for the detection of lytA and psaA genes of . In addition, the modified Marimon's PCR method was used for serotyping the bacteria. The data were analyzed using Pearson's Chi-square test.

RESULTS

Out of the 901 CSF samples, 106 cases tested positive for using the PCR method, while only 92 cases tested positive using the conventional methods. Based on the Marimon's PCR method, serotypes 23F, 19F, 19A, 1, 14, and serogroup 6A/B were the most common types. Serogroups 18C, 15A/F, 15B/C, 9A/V, 7A/F, 11A/D/F, and 22A/F were also detected in isolates. Note that 2.8% of the samples were non-typable (NT).

CONCLUSION

The results showed that only 13 serotypes were responsible for all meningitis cases. Pneumococcal capsular vaccine-13 (PCV-13) is the preferred choice against common serotypes of in northeast Iran.The abstract was presented in Iran's 19 International Congress of Microbiology, as a poster and published in the congress abstracts book.