[Antibiotic resistance and distribution of serotypes of invasive pneumococcal strains isolated from hospitalized adults in Lima, Peru].

OBJECTIVES.: To describe the clinical characteristics, antibiotic resistance, and distribution of serotypes of bacterial strains that cause invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in adults.

MATERIALS AND METHODS.: Case series. Pneumococcal strains were isolated from 2009 to 2011 from hospitalized adult patients with IPD in five hospitals and two laboratories located in Lima.

RESULTS.: The analysis of data from 43 patients with IPD indicated that 58.2% were older than 60 years. The most common complications were pneumonia (39.5%), meningitis (30.2%), bacteremia (13.9%), peritonitis (11.6%), and septic arthritis (4.8%). The mortality rate was 28.9%, and 72.7% of cases involved patients older than 60 years. The pneumococcal strains were resistant to the following antibiotics: penicillin, 0% and 30.8% in non-meningitis and meningitis strains, respectively; ceftriaxone, 4.5% and 16.7% in non-meningitis and meningitis strains, respectively; trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, 69.0%; and erythromycin, 35.7%. The most common serotypes were 19F, 23F, 6B, 14, and 6C. The percentage of vaccine strains was 44.2% for the 7-valent conjugate pneumococcal vaccine (PCV7) and PCV10, 51.2% for PCV13, and 60.4% for the 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23).

CONCLUSIONS.: Pneumococcus is an important pathogen in adults, particularly in older adults, owing to its high mortality rate.