Carriage of multiple Streptococcus pneumoniae capsular types is frequent among children with invasive pneumococcal

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Capsular Serotyping of Streptococcus pneumoniae by Latex Agglutination
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Capsular Serotyping of Streptococcus pneumoniae by Latex Agglutination

Published on: September 25, 2014

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Sofia Félix1, Desirée Henares2, Carmen Muñoz-Almagro2,3,4

  • 1Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology of Human Pathogens, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier/Universidade Nova de Lisboa (ITQB/NOVA), Oeiras, Portugal.

European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases : Official Publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology
|April 2, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Children with invasive pneumococcal disease often carry multiple Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes in their nasopharynx. This finding suggests that co-colonizing serotypes may play a role in disease development.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a common human pathogen.
  • It colonizes the nasopharynx, acting as a reservoir for transmission.
  • Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) remains a significant global health concern, particularly in children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the distribution of pneumococcal serotypes in paired nasopharyngeal and invasive samples from children with IPD.
  • To determine the frequency of multiple serotype carriage in the nasopharynx of children experiencing invasive pneumococcal disease.

Main Methods:

  • Collection of paired nasopharyngeal and invasive samples from 57 children diagnosed with IPD.
  • Microbiological analysis to identify pneumococcal serotypes present in each sample.
  • Comparison of serotypes found in nasopharyngeal carriage versus those causing invasive disease.

Main Results:

  • Out of 39 nasopharyngeal samples positive for pneumococci, 46.2% harbored a serotype distinct from the one causing invasive disease.
  • A high frequency of pneumococcal multiple serotype carriage was observed in children with IPD.
  • This indicates that children with IPD frequently carry more than one pneumococcal serotype.

Conclusions:

  • Multiple serotype carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae is common in children with invasive pneumococcal disease.
  • The role of these co-colonizing serotypes in the onset and progression of pneumococcal infections requires further research.
  • Understanding multiple serotype carriage could inform future prevention and treatment strategies for IPD.

Keywords:
ChildrenCo-colonizationInvasive pneumococcal diseaseMultiple serotype carriageStreptococcus pneumoniae

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