A bacteriological study on acute suppurative otitis media in children was performed to detect major athogens, altered penicillin-binding protein genes from penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (PRSP), and serotypes of pneumococcal isolates. Sixty-seven children under 10 years of age were examined. Approximately half of the subjects were under two years old. One hundred and twelve strains were isolated from nasopharyngeal swabs and 39 strains from middle ear discharge. Major pathogens detected in 45 cases, 68.9% of them were Streptococcus pneumoniae. Of these, 83.9% were not sensitive to Penicillin G. By using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, altered penicillin-binding protein genes were found in 82.6% of the Streptococcus pneumoniae, all of which were either penicillin-insensitive Streptococcus pneumoniae (PISP) or PRSP.
Streptococcus pneumoniae with serotypes 19F or 23F were predominantly insensitive to Penicillin G.
