STRAIN DIFFERENTIATION OF CAPSULE TYPE 23 PENICILLIN-RESISTANT STREPTOCOCCUS-PNEUMONIAE FROM NOSOCOMIAL INFECTIONS BY PYROLYSIS MASS-SPECTROMETRY

Sixteen isolates of penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (penicillin-resistant pneumococci, PRP) serotype 23 with identical antibiograms were examined by pyrolysis mass spectrometry (PYMS) as a possible method of rapid inter-strain comparison. Some of the isolates were from well-documented hospital outbreaks of PRP infection whilst others were sporadic isolates. The results were in good agreement with the epidemiological data and showed that PYMS can distinguish strains within a single serotype of Strep. pneumoniae. Pyrolysis mass spectrometry is an attractive technique for the identification and management of nosocomial infections with penicillin-resistant strains of Strep. pneumoniae.