Antibiotic Susceptibility Patterns of Streptococcus agalactiae Isolated from Different Clinical Specimens Research Article

Abstract

Streptococcus agalactiae, commonly known as Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a major etiological agent of invasive neonatal infections worldwide and pose a significant threat to pregnant women and immunocompromised adults. Screening in pregnancy helps determine the need for prophylaxis to prevent neonatal transmission. The present study was conducted to study the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance patterns in GBS isolated from various clinical samples collected from Hyderabad, Sindh. Bacterial isolation and identification were done by using cultural, microscopic, and biochemical testing. The serogrouping was performed using PathoDxtra Strep Grouping Kit (Thermo Scientific). Antibiotic sensitivity profiling was carried out using Kirby-Baur Disc diffusion method. Identification using culturing and immunological testing and sero-grouping revealed seven different groups of Streptococci based on Lancefield grouping system. Among them a total of 117 isolates were GBS which were recovered from urine, blood, pus, HVS, Swabs, fluids, and CSF samples. Gender wise distribution of patients from whom the GBS positive samples were collected showed that 46.15% (n=54) samples were from male and 53.85% (n=63) belonged to female patients while all age groups were sensitive to GBS infections with higher frequency in 0-10 years age group. All isolates of GBS were highly sensitive to vancomycin (100%), followed by penicillin and ceftriaxone (99.14%). However, resistance against clindamycin, and erythromycin, was observed with varying patterns of sensitivity against them. Overall data suggested that although the front-line antibiotics are still largely effective for GBS infections, the sporadic cases of antibiotic resistant GBS and the increasing resistance against lincosamides and macrolides could be challenging for public health. Therefore, frequent local surveillance studies are highly recommended.