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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, August 1998, p. 2248-2253, Vol. 36, No. 8
0095-1137/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Molecular Characterization of Pneumococcal Nasopharynx Isolates Collected from Children during Their First 2 Years of Life

Marcel Sluijter,1 Howard Faden,2 Ronald de Groot,1 Nicole Lemmens,3 Wil H. F. Goessens,3 Alex van Belkum,3 and Peter W. M. Hermans1,*

Department of Pediatrics1 and Department of Medical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases,3 Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, Erasmus University Rotterdam, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, New York2

Received 26 January 1998/Returned for modification 9 April 1998/Accepted 5 May 1998

Pneumococcal colonization was studied in 19 children monitored from birth through the age of 2 years. For this purpose, pneumococcal isolates were characterized by capsular typing, restriction fragment end labeling (RFEL), and penicillin-binding protein (PBP) genotyping. Fifty-eight isolates were collected and were found to belong to 10 capsular types, 31 RFEL types, and 7 PBP genotypes. Thirty-nine percent of the isolates had reduced susceptibility to penicillin. All seven highly resistant strains (MICs, >1 µg/ml) were identical to the pandemic clone 23F. Children were culture positive between one and eight times at 13 scheduled visits. Although the infants were frequently recolonized with different strains, colonization with one particular strain often persisted for several months. Isolation of a previously detected capsular type was common, and the chromosomal homogeneity tended to be high when it occurred. Horizontal transfer of capsular genes between strains of different RFEL types was demonstrated in one child. The ecological advantage of transfer of capsular genes is unclear unless survival of the organism on a mucosal surface may be linked to immunoprotective pressure against particular capsular types.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratory of Pediatrics/Room Ee 1500, Erasmus University Rotterdam, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Phone: 31-10-4088224. Fax: 31-10-4365053. E-mail: hermans{at}kgk.fgg.eur.nl.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, August 1998, p. 2248-2253, Vol. 36, No. 8
0095-1137/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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