Background

The annual SAVE study was initiated in Canada in 2011 after PCV-13 was introduced. The study aims to detect antimicrobial susceptibility changes, overall and by serotype, in S. pneumoniae (SPN).

Methods

In collaboration between CARA, selected public health laboratories and PHAC-NML, the SAVE study collected 11044 invasive isolates of SPN from 2011 to 2018. Serotyping was performed using the Quellung reaction. Susceptibility testing was performed using CLSI methods.

Results

In 2018, 1878 SPN were collected as part of the SAVE study. The susceptibility results of the 10 most common serotypes in 2018 are shown below.

MDR was noted in 24 serotypes with the highest rates in 14 (60%), 15A (55.8%), 23F (50%), 6A/B (30/33.3%) and 19A (25%). Of the 120 MDR isolates identified in 2018, the most commonly observed MDR pattern was resistance to CLR, clindamycin, chloramphenicol and DOX (n=34). The rate of MDR SPN in 2018 was 6.5%, representing a decrease from the study high of 8.5% in 2011 but an increase from the 2016 rate of 3.9%.

Conclusions

Ongoing changes in the epidemiology and susceptibility patterns in SPN in Canada were observed.