RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Akdoğan Kittana, Fatma Nur A1 Mustak, Inci Basak A1 Hascelik, Gulsen A1 Saricam, Seyyide A1 Gurler, Nezahat A1 Diker, Kadir SerdarYR 2019 T1 Erythromycin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae: phenotypes, genotypes, transposons and pneumococcal vaccine coverage rates JF Journal of Medical Microbiology, VO 68 IS 6 SP 874 OP 881 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.000995 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1473-5644, AB Purpose. To assess the antibiotic resistance, transposon profiles, serotype distribution and vaccine coverage rates in 110 erythromycin-resistant S. pneumoniae clinical isolates. Methodology. Erythromycin, clindamycin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol and kanamycin susceptibilities were assessed using the E-test/disc diffusion method. Inducible macrolide resistance was tested using the erythromycin-clindamycin double disc diffusion test. Serogrouping and serotyping were performed using latex particle agglutination and the Quellung reaction, respectively. Drug resistance genes and transposon-specific genes were investigated by PCR. Results. Of the isolates, 93  % were resistant to clindamycin; 81  % were resistant to tetracycline; 76  % were multi-drug-resistant, having resistance to both clindamycin and tetracycline; and 12  % had extended-drug resistance, being resistant to clindamycin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol and kanamycin. The majority of isolates (88.2 %) exhibited the cMLSB phenotype. The association between the cMLSB phenotype and tetracycline resistance was related to transposons Tn2010 (38.2 %), Tn6002 (21.8 %) and Tn3872 (18.2 %). M and iMLSB phenotypes were observed in 7 and 5  % of the isolates, respectively. The most frequent serotype was 19 F (40 %). Among the erythromycin-resistant pneumococci, vaccine coverage rates for the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) and the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV-23) were 76.4 and 79.1  %, respectively, compared to 82.2 and 85.1 % transposon-carrying isolates. Conclusions. Multi-drug resistance among erythromycin-resistant S. pneumoniae isolates mainly occurs due to the horizontal spread of the Tn916 family of transposons. The majority of the transposon-carrying isolates are covered by 13- and 23-valent pneumococcal vaccines. Since serotype distribution and transposons in S. pneumoniae isolates may change over time, close monitoring is essential., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.000995