Pneumococcal Detection and Bacterial Co-Detection in Children After COVID-19: A Two-Year Multiplex PCR Study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric infectious diseases
• Respiratory pathogen surveillance
• Microbiology diagnostics

Background:

• Non-pharmaceutical interventions during COVID-19 pandemic altered respiratory pathogen circulation.
• A rebound in bacterial infections, including pneumococcal, occurred post-pandemic.
• Understanding pediatric pneumococcal infections in the post-pandemic era is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe pediatric pneumococcal respiratory infections.
• To analyze bacterial co-detections with Streptococcus pneumoniae.
• To assess trends in the immediate post-pandemic period.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of respiratory specimens from children aged 0-18 years.
• Utilized multiplex real-time PCR panels for bacterial pathogen detection.
• Data collected from a tertiary pediatric hospital in Romania during 2022-2023.

Main Results:

• Pediatric Streptococcus pneumoniae detections increased from 3.9% to 12.8% positivity.
• Pneumococcus-Haemophilus influenzae co-detection rose from 33.0% to 45.1%.
• Community-acquired pneumonia diagnoses increased significantly.

Conclusions:

• Observed a post-pandemic rise in pediatric pneumococcal detections.
• Increasing H. influenzae co-detection suggests complex respiratory infections.
• Supports the utility of syndromic multiplex PCR for diagnostics and antimicrobial stewardship.