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Viral coinfection in children less than five years old with invasive pneumococcal disease

Cristian Launes1, Mariona-Fernandez de-Sevilla, Laura Selva

  • 1Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, Barcelona, Spain.

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
|February 16, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Viral coinfection is common in children hospitalized with invasive pneumococcal disease, particularly with rhinovirus and influenza. This suggests viruses may help less invasive pneumococcal serotypes become more severe.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) remains a significant cause of childhood hospitalization.
  • Understanding co-factors that influence IPD severity is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the frequency of viral coinfection in young children hospitalized with IPD.
  • To explore the relationship between viral coinfection and specific Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective study of 71 children under 5 years old hospitalized with IPD between August 2008 and December 2009.
  • Respiratory viruses were detected using molecular methods.
  • Pneumococcal serotyping was performed for all isolates.

Main Results:

  • Viral coinfection was identified in 62% (44/71) of IPD cases.
  • Rhinovirus and influenza virus were the most common coinfecting viruses.
  • Viral coinfection was more frequent in cases caused by non-highly invasive pneumococcal serotypes (72%) compared to highly invasive ones (48%).

Conclusions:

  • Viral coinfection is a frequent occurrence in pediatric IPD.
  • A potential synergistic relationship exists between viral infections and less invasive pneumococcal serotypes, potentially increasing their invasiveness.

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