Pneumococcal bacteremia in Charleston County, South Carolina

To describe the epidemiology of pneumococcal bacteremia in a large population, this study reviewed medical records for residents of Charleston County, South Carolina, who had pneumococci isolated from blood cultures during the period 1974-1976. The overall incidence of documented pneumococcal bacteremia was 8.5 cases per 100,000 population per year. It was highest for those in the first two years of life (35 per 100,000 per year) and those in their sixties (21 per 100,000 per year). The incidence was more than five times higher in blacks than in whites and within races appeared to be independent of socioeconomic status or population density. Seventy-three per cent of the cases occurred in persons with another medical problem. These data on the incidence of documented pneumococcal bacteremia underestimate the true incidence of bacteremia to the extent that blood cultures were not performed under optimal circumstances for all persons with compatible clinical syndromes. The data suggest that certain groups would benefit from vaccination against pneumococcal disease if the vaccines are shown to be safe and effective for these groups.