Publication Details
Abstract
Objective: The goal of the study was to molecularly identify the neuraminidase-code genes nanA and nanB in clinical S. pneumoniae isolates obtained in patients with the pneumonia and to determine their relationship with the degree of disease severity. Method: One hundred and twenty clinical isolates were taken from hospitalized patients with positive pneumonia. The traditional PCR technique was used to confirm the identification of isolates using conventional microbiological methods. The relationship, co-occurrence patterns and the prevalence of nanA and nanB genes with clinical severity indicators were studied. Results: The nanA and nanB genes were detected in 91.7% and 74.2% of the isolates, respectively, with both genes present in 68.3% of the isolates. NanB alone and isolates carrying both nanA and nanB had a significant positive correlation with increased severity scores, increased levels of inflammatory drugs and higher intensive care unit (ICU) admission rates. Novelty: The results highlight the possible usefulness of the neuraminidase gene profiling as a prognostic system in the management of pneumococcal pneumonia.