Epidemiology of Streptococcus pneumoniae infection in Malaysia

• Published in: Epidemiology and infection Vol. 122; no. 1; pp. 77 - 82
• Main Authors: ROHANI, M. Y., RAUDZAH, A., NG, A. J., NG, P. P., ZAIDATUL, A. A. R., ASMAH, I., MURTAZA, M., PARASAKTHY, N., MOHD YASMIN, M. Y., CHEONG, Y. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Cambridge University Press 01-02-1999
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Distribution; Age groups; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antibiotics; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial Vaccines; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Epidemiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hospitalization; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Infant; Infections; Infectious diseases; Malaysia - epidemiology; Medical sciences; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Microbiology; Middle Aged; Penicillin; Pneumococcal infections; Pneumococcal Infections - epidemiology; Pneumococcal Infections - microbiology; Pneumococcal Infections - prevention & control; Pneumococcal Vaccines; Polysaccharides; Population Surveillance; Serotyping; Staphylococcal infections, streptococcal infections, pneumococcal infections; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Streptococcus pneumoniae - classification; Vaccination; Asia; Malaysia; Infection; Human; Streptococcaceae; Streptococcal infection; Bacteriosis; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Vaccine; Serotype; Epidemiology; Age; Streptococcus pneumoniae
• ISSN: 0950-2688; 1469-4409
• DOI: 10.1017/S0950268898001605

During a 1-year period from October 1995 to September 1996, 273
isolations of Streptococcus
pneumoniae were made from various types of clinical specimens. The
majority of the isolates
(39·2%) were from sputum whilst 27·5% were from blood, CSF
and other body fluids. The
organism was isolated from patients of all age groups, 31·1% from
children aged 10 years and
below, 64·7% of which come from children aged 2 years or below.
The majority of the isolates
belong to serotypes 1, 6B, 19B, 19F and 23F. Serotypes 1 and 19B were the
most common
serotypes associated with invasive infection. About 71·9% of the
invasive infections were due
to serotypes included in the available 23 valent polysaccharide vaccine.
The rates of resistance
to penicillin and erythromycin were 7·0 and 1·1% respectively.
Our findings show that the
serotypes of S. pneumoniae causing most invasive infections in
Malaysia are similar to those in
other parts of the world and the available vaccine may have a useful role
in this population.