Molecular characterization of virulence genes (ply) in Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from humans

Abstract

Background & aim: The present study aimed to detect the pneumolysin (ply) virulence gene in Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates obtained from human clinical samples.
Materials and Methods: A total of 50 isolates were collected from patients suffering from respiratory tract infections between November and February at Tikrit Teaching Hospital and Al-Tawfiq Private Hospital, Iraq. Blood agar was used for the cultivation of isolates, and identification was performed using the VITEK 2 system. Molecular detection of the ply gene was carried out by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
Results: The results of the present study showed that 35 out of 50 isolates (70%) were positive for the ply gene, indicating a high prevalence of this virulence factor among local pneumococcal strains.
Conclusions: These findings emphasize the importance of molecular methods for the rapid diagnosis and surveillance of virulent Streptococcus pneumoniae strains in clinical settings.