Annals of Clinical Microbiology, The official Journal of the Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology
Case report

Streptococcus pneumoniae Isolates with Decreased Susceptibility to Optochin

Seungok Lee, Jung-Joon Park, Eun-Jee Oh, Yeon-Joon Park, and Byung Kee Kim

Department of Clinical Pathology, Kangnam St. Marys Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea

Corresponding to Yeon-Joon Park, E-mail: yjpk@cmc.cuk.ac.kr

Ann Clin Microbiol 2002;5(1):59-61.
Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology.

Abstract

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia in adults and an important agent in other infections, including meningitis, otitis media, and conjunctivitis, etc. The optochin susceptibility test is the most widely used method to discriminate S. pneumoniae from other streptococci. However, 0.8-1.5% of S. pneumoniae contain optochin resistant population. Recently, we experienced three cases of variants of S. pneumoniae with decreased susceptibility to optochin. Equivocal optochin disk test should be confirmed by bile solubility, agglutination test, or DNA probe test. (Korean J Clin Microbiol 2002;5(1):59-61)

Keywords

Optochin, Decreased susceptibility, Streptococcus pneumoniae