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Middle ear fluid Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype distribution in Costa Rican children with otitis media

Adriano Arguedas1, Ron Dagan, Silvia Guevara

  • 1Instituto de Atención Pediátrica, San José, Costa Rica. aarguedas@iped.net

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
|July 7, 2005
PubMed

Insights

The heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine covers 74% of Streptococcus pneumoniae causing otitis media in Costa Rican children. Serotype distribution in pediatric middle ear fluid is similar to developed countries.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric infectious diseases
  • Microbiology
  • Vaccinology

Background:

  • Streptococcus pneumoniae conjugate vaccine introduced in Costa Rica in 2004.
  • Previous data (1999-2001) showed serotype 19F prevalence at 75% in pediatric middle ear fluid (MEF).
  • Recent shifts in prevalent serotypes necessitate updated epidemiological data.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Identify common S. pneumoniae serotypes in MEF of Costa Rican children with otitis media (OM).
  • Analyze serotype distribution by demographics, disease characteristics, and antimicrobial susceptibility.
  • Assess the coverage of the heptavalent S. pneumoniae conjugate vaccine for OM in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Collected 69 S. pneumoniae isolates from MEF of children (3-49 months) with OM in 2002-2003.
  • Performed serotyping using the quellung reaction with Statens Serum Institute antisera.

Main Results:

  • Most common serotypes: 19F (26.1%), 6B (14.5%), 9V (8.7%), 16F (8.7%), 14 (5.8%), 23F (5.8%), 3 (5.8%), and 6A (5.8%).
  • Serotype distribution showed no significant differences based on age or disease distribution.
  • A trend indicated higher non-susceptibility to penicillin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole among vaccine-type strains.

Conclusions:

  • S. pneumoniae serotype distribution causing pediatric OM in Costa Rica resembles that of developed nations.
  • The current heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is estimated to cover 74% of OM cases in Costa Rican children.
Abstract

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