Isolation and identification of streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from pneumonia patients In Thi-Qar Province Iraq

Abstract EN

Pneumococcal pneumonia is an infection of the lung tissue, frequently, it is described as lung parenchyma/alveoli inflammation causes to alveoli fill up with fluid or pus and tissue lysis this is a result from the toxic activity of Streptococcus pneumoniae toxins, this can lead to trouble breathing, and in progressive cases even death.

The aim of this study is Isolation and identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae bacterium from the pneumonia patients at Thi-Qar province by using PCR technic by using lytA gene.

Hundred sputum samples were collected from patients suffering from pneumonia infection (age range between 15-85 years) from both sexes attending Al-Hussein teaching hospital in Thi-Qar province during the period from November (2017) to February (2018).

The samples were cultured on Blood agar with gentamicin, then the positive samples were subcultured and diagnosed according to morphological characteristics, hemolysis on blood agar, optochin susceptibility, biochemical tests and using the Api 20 Strep system.

Where the initial results were revealed that; only 27/100 (27%) gave positive growth for S.

pneumoniae.

The final diagnosis to confirm the isolates depended on present the lytA gene in all 27 isolates which are considered specific for the detection of S.

pneumoniae by using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique.