Objective: To describe the incidence of pneumococcal bacteremia not associated with infection of the central nervous system, investigate the susceptibility of bacterial isolates to beta-lactams, evaluate risk factors for antibiotic resistance, and determine factors predicting patient outcome.
Methods: Over a period of 1 year, 919 Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates were collected from 919 patients with bacteremia in eight French counties. Their clinical and microbiological features were recorded. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine risk factors for penicillin-non-susceptible pneumococcal bacteremia and predictors of fatal outcome.
Results: Of the 919 patients in the study, 27% were infected with penicillin-non-susceptible pneumococci (PNSP): 17.8% of the isolates were intermediate to penicillin, 7.2% were resistant to penicillin, 16% were intermediate to amoxicillin, and 11% were intermediate to cefotaxime; no PNSP were resistant to either of the last two antibiotics. The most common PNSP serotypes isolated were 14 (41%) and 23 (24%). A statistically significant relationship between PNSP infection and age below 5 years or above 60 years in the different counties was observed by univariate and multivariate analysis. Gender, origin of bacteremia, co-morbidity, immunodeficiency, previous hospitalization and nosocomial infection were not predisposing factors associated with PNSP. The mortality rate was 20.6%: there was no increase in mortality among patients with PNSP bacteremia. Age was the strongest risk factor for mortality, but immunodeficiency also seemed to have had an impact on mortality. Clinical outcome was more closely related to clinical conditions than to the susceptibility status of S. pneumoniae.
Conclusion: Among cases of bacteremia, 27% were caused by PNSP, but this level varies according to the counties and the age of the patients. Infection-related mortality was high, but there was no increase related to penicillin G non-susceptibility of the infecting strain.