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Nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae

C Wattal1, J K Oberoi, P K Pruthi

  • 1Department of Clinical Microbiology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, India. chandwattal@sgrh.com

Indian Journal of Pediatrics
|November 6, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage in healthy children was 6.5%, with serotype 19 most common. The heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine covers most strains, but further studies are needed.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Microbiology
  • Vaccinology

Background:

  • Nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) is a key factor in pneumococcal disease transmission.
  • Understanding carriage rates and serotype distribution is crucial for evaluating vaccine impact.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the nasopharyngeal carriage rate of S. pneumoniae in healthy children.
  • To identify prevalent serogroups/types (SGT) and assess antimicrobial susceptibility.
  • To evaluate the implications for the heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

Main Methods:

  • A study of 200 healthy children (3 months to 3 years) in New Delhi.
  • Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected for S. pneumoniae isolation and serotyping (Quellung reaction).
  • Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined using disk diffusion and E test methods.

Main Results:

  • The S. pneumoniae carriage rate was 6.5%.
  • Prevalent serotypes included 1, 6, 14, and 19, with serotype 19 being the most common.
  • 84.6% of isolates were covered by the heptavalent pneumococcal vaccine; 15.4% showed intermediate penicillin resistance.

Conclusions:

  • The heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine effectively covers the majority of isolated S. pneumoniae strains in this cohort.
  • Due to the small sample size, further regional studies are recommended to confirm vaccine efficacy.
Abstract

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