A novel, multiple drug-resistant, serotype 24F strain of Streptococcus pneumoniae that caused meningitis in patients in Naples, Italy.

Three adult patients in Naples, Italy, had meningitis due to multiple drug-resistant serotype 24F Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates. The 3 isolates were genetically indistinguishable and shared pbp2b and pspA sequence types with previously characterized penicillin-resistant clones. This serotype 24F strain was found to be the same clonal type as a previously characterized, penicillin-resistant serotype 14 strain. The novel strain has probably arisen through transformation of a serotype 14 strain with type 24F capsular biosynthetic operon sequences.