Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 4, 2026
Experimental Human Pneumococcal Carriage
Published on: February 15, 2013
Rethinking pneumococcal surveillance through indoor air sampling
Bieke Tack1, Caspar Geenen2, Tessa Nieuwenhuijsen3
1University Hospitals Leuven, Dept. of Laboratory Medicine, National Reference Centre for Respiratory Pathogens and Invasive S. pneumoniae, Belgium.
Background:
Pneumococcal surveillance remains challenging due to limited invasive disease surveillance and logistically demanding nasopharyngeal carriage studies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We evaluated indoor air sampling as a non-invasive approach for monitoring pneumococcal circulation and serotype distribution.
Methods:
Monthly indoor air samples were collected over 20 months (January 2022-September 2023) in a Belgian childcare center. Samples were analyzed by qPCR for pneumococcal detection and serotype identification.
Results:
Pneumococci were detected in all samples. After excluding serotypes with known specificity issues, 15 serotypes/serogroups were identified, with a mean of seven per sample. Commonly detected serotypes largely matched those reported in Belgian carriage studies and invasive disease surveillance.
Conclusions:
Indoor air sampling captured signals of community pneumococcal circulation and serotype dynamics. With further validation, it could provide a scalable, affordable surveillance tool to support vaccine policy, monitor vaccine impact, and strengthen respiratory pathogen surveillance, particularly in LMICs.
More Related Videos
11:32Following in Real Time the Impact of Pneumococcal Virulence Factors in an Acute Mouse Pneumonia Model Using Bioluminescent Bacteria
Published on: February 23, 2014
05:31Noninvasive Sampling of Mucosal Lining Fluid for the Quantification of In Vivo Upper Airway Immune-mediator Levels
Published on: August 7, 2017
Related Concept Videos
01:30Pneumonia III: Complications and Assessment
01:14Atypical Pneumonia
01:29Pneumonia I: Introduction
01:30Pneumonia I: Introduction
Risk Factors
Various factors influence the likelihood of developing pneumonia. Age plays a crucial role, with infants, children under two, and individuals over 65 at increased risk due to their...
01:25Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...