First report of putative streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 6d among nasopharyngeal isolates from fijian children

Abstract

Background: A putative Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype, 6D, resulting from the introduction of wciNb into serotype 6B has been proposed. Methods: We studied 98 unique serogroup 6 isolates from Fijian children, two-thirds of whom had received at least 1 dose of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, and 51 invasive isolates from Australian children. We used a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system that targets both wciN βand the single-nucleotide polymorphism that differentiates serotypes 6A and 6B - wciP584g (6A) and wciP584a (6B). Results: Two (9%) of 22 Australian isolates and 24 (38%) of 64 Fijian isolates previously identified as 6A by the Quellung reaction and wciP584g PCR contained..