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Letters to the Editor / International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents 44 (2014) 274–279

First reporting of the penicillin susceptibility of invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from the Northern Territory of Australia Sir, Streptococcus pneumoniae continues to be an important cause of disease in the Northern Territory of Australia. The highest rates of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in Australia are in the Northern Territory, with a case fatality rate of 5.3% [1]. The overall rate of IPD in Indigenous Australians is five times the rate in nonIndigenous Australians [1]. In Australia, pneumococcal vaccination is recommended as part of routine immunisation for children, older Australians and Indigenous people. There is good uptake of the vaccine, with 85% of Indigenous and 91% of non-Indigenous 12month-olds in Australia considered fully vaccinated in 2007 [1]. A past study from Darwin (NT) reported the rates of antimicrobial susceptibility of S. pneumoniae paediatric respiratory isolates to be below the national average [2]. Whilst national surveillance of IPD has been conducted in Australia since 2002 [1], susceptibility data for Northern Territory isolates are not reported separately. The Northern Territory is not included in the Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AGAR) surveillance reports on S. pneumoniae susceptibility [3]. In this study, the penicillin susceptibilities of invasive S. pneumoniae isolates from the Northern Territory were determined, specifically to compare current local rates with national and historical data. A retrospective analysis was performed on 195 separate consecutive S. pneumoniae blood culture isolates identified between 1 January 2010 and 31 May 2013 as well as 42 blood culture isolates from 2000 and 2001 from the microbiology laboratories of Darwin, Katherine, Gove, Alice Springs and Tennant Creek hospitals. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of isolates to penicillin was measured using the Etest (bioMérieux, Marcy-l’Étoile, France) and M.I.C. EvaluatorTM (Oxoid Ltd., Basingstoke, UK). Results were interpreted as per Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Of the 42 isolates from 2000 to 2001, 88% were found to have a penicillin MIC of

First reporting of the penicillin susceptibility of invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from the Northern Territory of Australia.

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