Vol.52 No.4 April 2004

Phenotypic and genotypic analysis of a highly penicillin-resistant putative Streptococcus pneumoniae strain isolated in the Republic of Korea

Hisashi Yamada¹⁾, Satoshi Ameyama²⁾, Yoshiko Fukuda²⁾, Junichi Mitsuyama²⁾ and Shinzaburo Minami³⁾

¹⁾Discovery Laboratories and ²⁾Research Laboratories, Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd., 2-4-1 Shimookui, Toyama, Japan
³⁾Business Development Department, Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd.

Abstract

A highly penicillin-resistant strain of Streptococcus pneumoniae, isolated in the Republic of Korea in 1997, was identified in detail on the basis of its phenotypic and genotypic features. The strain had been identified as Streptococcus pneumoniae based on its α -haemolytic activity and optochin susceptibility. However, the results of further study showing that it was negative for the lytA gene by PCR and the API-Strep results showing that it was an oral streptococcus, suggested that the strain was an oral streptococcus and not Streptococcus pneumoniae.
This finding indicates that the genotype as well as the characteristic phenotype must be checked to accurately identify Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Key word

Streptococcus pneumoniae, identification, phenotype, genotype

Received

January 15, 2004

Accepted

February 5, 2004

Jpn. J. Chemother. 52 (4): 228-230, 2004