Rapid determination of pneumococcal serotypes 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D by combination of PCRs to capsular gene loci of Streptococcus pneumoniae

摘要

Background: The introduction of protein conjugate pneumococcal vaccine in many countries worldwide has led to capsular replacement in S. pneumoniae causing disease and nasopharyngeal carriage among children. Serotypes, such as serotypes 6C and 6D, were newly described in 2007 and 2009 respectively. Active surveillance on pneumococcal disease and carriage requires prompt detection of changes in serotype distribution and identification of new serotypes. We describe the use of multiple PCRs based on the capsular loci to detect serotypes of 6A, B, C and D from pneumococci belonging to serogroup 6.