High rate of antibiotic resistance among pneumococci carried by healthy children in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

BACKGROUND: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines have been introduced in the infant immunisation programmes in many countries to reduce the rate of fatal pneumococcal infections. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) a 13-valent vaccine (PCV13) was introduced in 2013. Data on the burden of circulating pneumococci among children after this introduction are lacking. In this study, we aimed to determine the risk factors related to pneumococcal carriage in healthy Congolese children after the vaccine introduction and to assess the antibiotic resistance rates and serotype distribution among the isolated pneumococci. METHODS: In 2014 and 2015, 794 healthy children aged one to 60 months attending health centres in the eastern part of DR Congo for immunisation or growth monitoring were included in the study. Data on socio-demographic and medical factors were collected by interviews with the children's caregivers. Nasopharyngeal swabs were obtained from all the children for bacterial culture, and isolated pneumococci were further tested for antimicrobial resistance using disc diffusion tests and, when indicated, minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination, and for serotype/serogroup by molecular testing. RESULTS: The pneumococcal detection rate was 21%, being higher among children who had not received PCV13 vaccination, lived in rural areas, had an enclosed kitchen, were malnourished or presented with fever (p value < 0.05). The predominant serotypes were 19F, 11, 6A/B/C/D and 10A. More than 50% of the pneumococcal isolates belonged to a serotype/serogroup not included in PCV13. Eighty per cent of the isolates were not susceptible to benzylpenicillin and non-susceptibility to ampicillin and ceftriaxone was also high (42 and 37% respectively). Almost all the isolates (94%) were resistant to trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole, while 43% of the strains were resistant to ≥3 antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows alarmingly high levels of reduced susceptibility to commonly used antibiotics in pneumococci carried by healthy Congolese children. This highlights the importance of local antibiotic resistance surveillance and indicates the needs for the more appropriate use of antibiotics in the area. The results further indicate that improved living conditions are needed to reduce the pneumococcal burden, in addition to PCV13 vaccination.

Co-occurrence of bacteria and viruses and serotype distribution of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the nasopharynx of Tanzanian children below 2 years of age following introduction of the PCV13.

Introduction: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines have reduced severe disease attributed to vaccine-type pneumococci in children. However, the effect is dependent on serotype distribution in the population and disease development may be influenced by co-occurrence of viral and bacterial pathogens in the nasopharynx. Methods: Following introduction of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in Tanzania we performed repeated cross-sectional surveys, including 775 children below 2 years of age attending primary healthcare centers. All children were sampled from nasopharynx and pneumococci were detected by single-target PCR. Pneumococcal serotypes/groups and presence of viruses and other bacteria were determined by two multiplex PCR assays. Results: The prevalence of PCV13 vaccine-type pneumococci decreased by 50%, but residual vaccine-types were still detected in 21% of the children 2 years after PCV13 introduction. An increase in the non-vaccine-type 15 BC was observed. Pneumococci were often co-occurring with Haemophilus influenzae, and detection of rhino/enterovirus was associated with higher pneumococcal load. Discussion: We conclude that presence of residual vaccine-type and emerging non-vaccine-type pneumococci in Tanzanian children demand continued pneumococcal surveillance. High co-occurrence of viral and bacterial pathogens may contribute to the disease burden and indicate the need of multiple public health interventions to improve child health in Tanzania.

Antibiotic use in children under 5 years of age in Northern Tanzania: a qualitative study exploring the experiences of the caring mothers.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance is a serious threat to the global achievements in child health thus far. Previous studies have found high use of antibiotics in children in Northern Tanzania, but the experiences of the primary care-givers, who play a key role in accessing and administering antibiotics for the sick child, have remained largely unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand mothers' conceptions of antibiotic use in their children, which is of importance when forming strategies to improve antibiotic use in the community. METHOD: A qualitative study including eight focus group discussions with mothers of under-five children in Moshi urban and rural districts, Northern Tanzania, was performed during 2019. The discussions were recorded, transcribed verbatim, translated into English and analysed according to the phenomenographic approach. FINDINGS: Three conceptual themes emerged during analysis; (1) conceptions of disease and antibiotics, (2) accessing treatment and (3) administering antibiotics. Antibiotics were often perceived as a universal treatment for common symptoms or diseases in children with few side-effects. Although mothers preferred to attend a healthcare facility, unforeseen costs, long waits and lack of financial support from their husbands, posed barriers for healthcare seeking. However, pharmacies were perceived as a cheap and convenient option to access previously used or prescribed antibiotics. Some mothers sought advice from a trusted neighbour regarding when to seek healthcare, thus resembling the function of the community health worker. CONCLUSIONS: To improve antibiotic use in children under 5 years of age in Northern Tanzania, the precarious situation that women often find themselves in as they access treatment for their sick children needs to be taken into consideration. It is necessary to improve structures, including the healthcare system, socioeconomic inequalities and promoting gender equality both in the household and in the public arena to reduce misuse of antibiotics. Meanwhile, equipping community health workers to support Tanzanian women in appropriate healthcare seeking for their children, may be a feasible target for intervention.

Tanzanian primary healthcare workers' experiences of antibiotic prescription and understanding of antibiotic resistance in common childhood infections: a qualitative phenomenographic study.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic resistance is a threat to global child health. Primary healthcare workers play a key role in antibiotic stewardship in the community, but few studies in low-income countries have described their experiences of initiating antibiotic treatment in children. Thus, the present study aimed to describe primary healthcare workers' experiences of antibiotic prescription for children under 5 years of age and their conceptions of antibiotic resistance in Northern Tanzania. METHODS: A qualitative study involving individual in-depth interviews with 20 prescribing primary healthcare workers in Moshi urban and rural districts, Northern Tanzania, was performed in 2019. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, translated from Kiswahili into English and analysed according to the phenomenographic approach. FINDINGS: Four conceptual themes emerged during the analysis; conceptions in relation to the prescriber, the mother and child, other healthcare actors and in relation to outcome. The healthcare workers relied mainly on clinical examination and medical history provided by the mother to determine the need for antibiotics. Confidence in giving advice concerning non-antibiotic treatment varied among the participants and expectations of antibiotic treatment were perceived to be common among the mothers. Antibiotic resistance was mainly perceived as a problem for the individual patient who was misusing the antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: To increase rational antibiotic prescription, an awareness needs to be raised among Tanzanian primary healthcare workers of the threat of antibiotic resistance, not only to a few individuals, but to public health. Guidelines on childhood illnesses should be updated with advice concerning symptomatic treatment when antibiotics are not necessary, to support rational prescribing practices and promote trust in the clinician and mother relationship.

Carriage of penicillin-non-susceptible pneumococci among children in northern Tanzania in the 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine era.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the antibiotic susceptibility and serotype distribution of colonizing Streptococcus pneumoniae in Tanzanian children. Serial cross-sectional surveys were performed following the national introduction of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in December 2012. METHODS: A total of 775 children less than 2 years of age were recruited at primary health centres in Moshi, Tanzania between 2013 and 2015, and samples were obtained from the nasopharynx. S. pneumoniae were isolated by culture and tested for antibiotic susceptibility by disc diffusion and E-test methods; molecular testing was used to determine serotype/group. RESULTS: Penicillin non-susceptibility in the isolated pneumococci increased significantly from 31% (36/116) in 2013, to 47% (30/64) in 2014 and 53% (32/60) in 2015. Non-susceptibility to amoxicillin/ampicillin and ceftriaxone was low (n=8 and n=9, respectively), while 97% (236/244) of the isolates were non-susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. The majority of the children (54%, n=418) had been treated with antibiotics in the past 3 months, and amoxicillin/ampicillin were overall the most commonly used antibiotics. Carriage of penicillin-non-susceptible pneumococci was more common in children with many siblings. The prevalence of PCV13 serotypes among the detected serotypes/groups decreased from 56% (40/71) in 2013 to 23% (13/56) in 2015. CONCLUSIONS: Penicillin non-susceptibility in S. pneumoniae colonizing Tanzanian children increased during an observation period shortly after the introduction of PCV13. Measures to ensure rational use of antibiotics and more effective systems for surveillance of antibiotic resistance and serotype distribution are needed to assure continued effective treatment of pneumococcal disease.