Pediatric invasive pneumococcal disease in Bolívar, Colombia: a descriptive cross-sectional study

Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) remains a pediatric health challenge despite national vaccination efforts in Colombia. We described the socio-demographic, epidemiological, and clinical characteristics of children (<18 years of age) with IPD at a pediatric reference center in Bolívar, Colombia.

Descriptive cross-sectional study of all pediatric patients (under 18 years of age) diagnosed with IPD between 2016 and 2023. Data was collected retrospectively from medical records. IPD was defined as identifying Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) in blood, cerebrospinal, pleural, synovial, peritoneal, or pericardial fluid. Spn serotyping data was provided by the Colombian National Institute of Health. Descriptive statistics were performed to describe all variables.

Between 2016-2023, we identified fifty-four pediatric IPD cases. Most cases were reported among children in the 2-9 age group (44.4%), male sex (57.4%), low socio-economic strata (100%), and previous medical conditions (61.1%). Half of the patients were vaccinated. Serotyping data were available from 35 (64.8%) isolates. Fifteen Spn serotypes were identified, Spn19A being the most frequent (20.4%). All Spn isolates were vancomycin sensitive, while 34% had meropenem-decreased sensitivity. Three-quarters of the patients (76.0%) were diagnosed with bacteremia (bacteremic pneumonia/meningitis and bacteremia without known focus). The 79.6% of children were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). The median hospitalization days were 13.5 (IQR 5.5-23.5) while the median PICU length of stay was 9.5 (IQR 4-18) days. Nineteen patients died (35.2%).

IPD disproportionately affects vulnerable children, resulting in high PICU admission and mortality rates and prolonged hospital stay in Bolívar, Colombia. In addition, the emergence of resistance to carbapenems is of concern.