Microbiologic and virulence characteristics of Moraxella catarrhalis isolates from Zambian children presenting with acute pneumonia

Background Moraxella catarrhalis is one of the bacterial pathogens associated with childhood pneumonia, but its clinical importance is not clearly defined. Objective This study aimed to investigate the microbiologic and virulence characteristics of M. catarrhalis isolates obtained from children with pneumonia in Lusaka, Zambia. Methods This retrospective, cross-sectional study analyzed 91 M. catarrhalis isolates from induced sputum samples of children less than 5 years of age with pneumonia enrolled in the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health study in Lusaka, Zambia between 2011 and 2014. Bacteria identification and virulence genes detection were performed by PCR and DNA sequencing, while antimicrobial susceptibility testing was determined by the Kirby-Bauer method. Results All the M. catarrhalis isolates were obtained from good-quality sputum samples and were the predominant bacteria. These isolates harbored virulence genes copB (100%), ompE (69.2%), ompCD (71.4%), uspA1 (92.3%), and uspA2 (69.2%) and were all beta-lactamase producers. They showed resistance to ampicillin (100%), amoxicillin (100%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (92.3%), ciprofloxacin (46.2%), chloramphenicol (45.1%), erythromycin (36.3%), tetracycline (25.3%), cefuroxime (11.0%), and amoxicillin-clavulanate (2.2%), with 71.4% displaying multi-drug resistant phenotype but all susceptible to imipenem (100%). Conclusion This study showed that M. catarrhalis isolates were the predominant or only bacterial isolates from the sputum samples analyzed. The findings provide supportive evidence for the pathogenic potential role of this bacterium in pediatric pneumonia. High multidrug resistance was also observed amongst the isolates, which can result in affected patients not responding to standard treatment, leading to prolonged illness, increased healthcare costs, and risk of death.