Characterization and antibiogram study of pneumonia causing bacteria isolated from blood culture of children in northern Bangladesh

ABSTRACT

Children are usually affected by pneumonia, which is a common ailment caused by Pathogenic Streptococcus pneumoniae. This study's objective was to isolate and identify S. pneumoniae, which was recovered from blood samples of suspected paediatric pneumonia patients using conventional techniques, such as antibiotic sensitivity profiles and molecular approaches. In this study, forty (40) samples from three major hospitals in the Dinajpur region of Bangladesh were collected and assessed using various bacteriological, biochemical, antibiotic susceptibility test, and molecular techniques. 37.5% of the 40 samples tested positive for pneumonia, and 15 isolates were discovered. In terms of age, pneumonia was more common in children aged 3-5 years (50%) than in those aged 6 to 8 (33.33%), 9 to 11 (25%) and 12 to 15 (20%). According to the results of the current study, the study area had no statistically significant impact (P > 0.05), while age and socioeconomic status had a significant impact on the prevalence of pneumonia in patients with pneumonia (P 0.05). The age group for which pneumonia was most prevalent (at 50%) was that for children between the ages of 3-5. Poor socioeconomic status was associated with the highest prevalence of pneumonia (54.54%). By sequencing the 16S rRNA gene, S. pneumoniae was identified as S. pneumoniae NBRC102642. In the antibiotic investigation, S. pneumoniae was found to be extremely resistant to ciprofloxacin, amikacin, vancomycin, and cefexime, but responsive to erythromycin and azithromycin, as well as neomycin, kanamycin, streptomycin, and bacitracin. S. pneumoniae causes serious complications in paediatric patients, and this scenario requires prevention through vaccination and the development of new, efficient antibiotic therapies for pneumonia. If specific laboratory features of paediatric patients with pneumonia are understood, sepsis will be easier to detect early, treat, and reduce mortality.