Acquisition of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Nonspecific Morbidity in Infants and Their Families

Abstract

Acquisition of S. pneumoniae by the study infant was significantly associated with GP consultations for infection by the infant or family.

Social Mixing with Other Children during Infancy Enhances Antibody Response to a Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in Early Childhood

“…A longitudinal study of pneumococcal carriage in infants in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, found that 60% of these children carried one or more pneumococcal serotypes in the first year of life. In this United Kingdom study, the acquisition rate was higher for infants with older siblings than for first children, with 50% more acquisitions occurring per additional sibling (37). Other studies have confirmed that exposure to other children in day care or within a family increases the rate of carriage of S. pneumoniae (32).…”

Oropharyngeal Colonization Density of Kingella kingae

“…[9][10][11] Colonization of the respiratory tracts by these organisms is, therefore, a prerequisite for later invasion. For most of these microoorganisms, such as S. pneumoniae or H. influenzae, [2][3][4][5][6][7] there are evidences that the bacterial load varies in the nasopharynx with the age of subjects, and that higher nasopharynx colonization densities play major roles in the development of invasive infections. [2][3][4][5][6][7] For K. kingae, there are currently no data about the K. kingae oropharyngeal colonization density during the first years of life.…”

“…For most of these microoorganisms, such as S. pneumoniae or H. influenzae, [2][3][4][5][6][7] there are evidences that the bacterial load varies in the nasopharynx with the age of subjects, and that higher nasopharynx colonization densities play major roles in the development of invasive infections. [2][3][4][5][6][7] For K. kingae, there are currently no data about the K. kingae oropharyngeal colonization density during the first years of life. This study is thus the first, to the best of our knowledge, to demonstrate that the pharyngeal colonization density is very stable during the first 4 years of life, and that this parameter must thus play a minor role in the development of invasive infection.…”

“…1 The density of the oropharyngeal carriage may thus be suspected to play a role in the pathogenesis of invasive K. kingae infections, as it is the case with many other pathogens of the oropharyngeal flora, such as Streptococcus pneumoniae or Haemophilus influenzae. [2][3][4][5][6][7] In the current study, we explored whether there was a modification in the density of K. kingae oropharyngeal bacterial load that might modify the risk of invasive infections during the first years of life in children.…”

Serotyping of Streptococcus pneumoniae Isolates from Nasopharyngeal Samples: Use of an Algorithm Combining Microbiologic, Serologic, and Sequential Multiplex PCR Techniques

“…Additionally, it is part of the upper respiratory tract flora of healthy persons, especially children. Although colonization with S. pneumoniae is often asymptomatic, it can progress to serious respiratory disease or invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), the development of which requires preceding colonization (3,9,24).…”