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  • Essay / Structure of pneumococcal bacteria

    The first observations by application of specific strains revealed that virulent pneumococci were surrounded by a structure now recognized as the capsule. The capsule played a central role in the discovery of the “transformative principle” since it used this genetic trait and this microorganism where DNA and genetic information were linked for the first time. (R. Lopez et al., 2004) As in other Gram-positive bacteria, the cell wall of the pneumococcus is composed of peptidoglycan and teichoic acid. A predominant component of teichoic acid is polysaccharide C which is covalently linked to the peptidoglycan layer and distributed on both its inner and outer side. (M. Kalin et al.,)Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"?Get the original essayMore recently, it has been proposed to develop substances that specifically inhibit bacterial virulence, such as "antipathogen" drugs, unlike antibacterial medications. , do not kill bacteria or stop their growth or lead to the development of resistant strains. (M. Otto et al., 2004) The pneumococcal polysaccharide capsule is crucial for virulence, primarily by protecting bacteria against phagocytosis. Transformation of the capsular gene cassette, resulting in a change in capsule specificity, is a common event in these antibiotic-resistant clones, and perhaps also in more naturally occurring clones. (M. Kalin et al.,)Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) remains the leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia, meningitis, and bacteremia in children and adults, and the most common cause of otitis media in infants and young children (Lynch JP et al., 2015). Globally, pneumonia remains the most common cause of death in children under 5 years of age, causing 1.6 million deaths per year, Black RE (2015). Despite routine microbiological testing, the microbial etiology of CAP is not always identified, but with current laboratory investigations a diagnosis can usually be made in up to 60% of patients (C. Feldman et al. , 2014). The first report regarding the emergence of fluoroquinolone resistance among S. pneumoniae isolates in Asia came from Hong Kong, and a subsequent case-control study showed that the presence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, nosocomial origin of the bacteria, residence in a nursing home, and exposure to fluoroquinolones were independently associated with levofloxacin-resistant S. pneumoniae colonization or infection]. In a Taiwanese hospital, levofloxacin non-susceptibility rates of S. pneumoniae increased significantly from 1.2% in 2001 to 4.2% in 2007. The ANSORP study showed that rates of Resistance to fluoroquinolones were 1.7%, 0.4%, 1.5% and 13.4% for levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, gatifloxacin and ciprofloxacin, respectively, in Asian countries. Isolates from Taiwan (6.5%) and South Korea (4.6%) showed the highest rates of levofloxacin resistance. A case of bacteremic pneumonia caused by an extremely drug-resistant strain of S. pneumoniae, nonsusceptible to at least one agent of all classes except vancomycin. and linezolid, has been reported in Korea (jae-hoon – song et al 2013). The impact of antibiotic-resistant pneumococcus has not been assessed and will likely depend on many factors, including whether or not antibiotic treatment is consistent with the susceptibility profile of the infecting strain. Discordant processing may cause delay.