Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27342074›Full record

ArticleBMC microbiology2016

Two cases of serotypeable and non-serotypeable variants of Streptococcus pneumoniae detected simultaneously during invasive disease.

Kedibone M Ndlangisa, Mignon du Plessis, Mushal Allam, Nicole Wolter, Thabo Mohale, Linda de Gouveia, Monica Birkhead, Keith P Klugman, Anne von Gottberg

Abstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in BMC microbiology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Population snapshot ofMicrobial genomics · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Kedibone M NdlangisaCentre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis (CRDM), National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa. kedibonen@nicd.ac.za.
Mignon du PlessisCentre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis (CRDM), National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Mushal AllamCentre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis (CRDM), National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Nicole WolterCentre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis (CRDM), National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Thabo MohaleCentre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis (CRDM), National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Linda de GouveiaCentre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis (CRDM), National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Monica BirkheadCentre for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Keith P KlugmanHubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, and Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Anne von GottbergCentre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis (CRDM), National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Funding

CDC HHSPEPFAR
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMore than 94 serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae have been described to date, however the majority of disease is caused by approximately 20 serotypes. Some pneumococci do not react with commercially available antisera used for serotyping and are thus regarded as non-serotypeable (NT). These pneumococci are commonly isolated during carriage studies and very rarely cause invasive disease. Colonization may occur with more than one serotype however disease with more than one serotype is rarely detected. Thus there are limited data describing cases of pneumococcal disease caused by more than one isolate.

resultsIn two cases of invasive pneumococcal disease in South Africa, a non-serotypeable and a serotypeable isolate were co-detected during routine serotyping. A serotype 1 and 18C isolate were each co-detected with a non-serotypeable isolate in 2009 (case A) and 2010 (case B), from cerebrospinal fluid and blood, respectively. Both patients were 10-14 years old. For case A, the serotypeable isolate could not be obtained due to low representation in the mixed culture. Using electron microscopy we confirmed lack of capsule for the non-serotypeable isolates. Comparison of the case A non-serotypeable isolate with a serotype 1 genome revealed only the presence of the rhamnose biosynthesis genes (rmlA, B, C and D) in the capsular locus, all other capsular genes were absent. Nonetheless it had a multilocus sequence type (ST) associated with serotype 1 (ST217 and ribosomal ST3462) and its core genome clustered with other ST217 isolates. The case B non-serotypeable isolate had all serotype 18C capsular genes except for variation in the wchA and wze genes, compared to the 18C isolate. Both case B isolates were ST9817 and their core genomes were identical.

conclusionsThe ability of pneumococci to alter capsule production is a potential vaccine escape mechanism and therefore non-serotypeable pneumococci should be monitored as such organisms may increase under vaccine pressure.

Indexed as

AdolescentChildHumansMalePneumococcal InfectionsSerotypingStreptococcus pneumoniaecpsEMixed cultureNon-serotypeablePneumococcusSerotype 1Serotype 18CSouth AfricawchA

Identifiers

PMID27342074
PMCPMC4921036

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.