Novel penicillin-, cephalosporin-, and macrolide-resistant clones of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes 23F and 19F in Taiwan which differ from international epidemic clones

A cluster (14 of 18) of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 23F isolates that were resistant to penicillin (PEN), cephalosporin, and macrolide was found in one day care center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. We analyzed the 18 isolates b y pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), All but one serotype 23F isolate demonstrated identical PFGE patterns, which were different from the establ ished pattern of the internationally spread Spanish 23F clone. The three st rains of serotype 19F also showed a uniform pattern. These data strongly su ggest that two novel clones of PEN-, cephalosporin-, and macrolide-resistan t S. pneumoniae serotypes 23F and 19F are present in Taiwan.