Disease-Associated Streptococcus pneumoniae Genetic Variation

Abstract

S treptococcus pneumoniae is a pathogen that causes community-associated infections in young children <5 years of age (1,2). It can asymptomatically colonize the nasopharynx and upper airway in healthy children (up to 60%) and can also invade sterile sites and lead to infections from mild to lifethreatening, which can result in substantial illness and death worldwide (1,3,4). Despite the widespread use of pneumococcal vaccines to immunize children, S. pneumoniae remains the leading cause of life-threatening diseases. Worldwide, the increasing disease burden of S. pneumoniae is alarming; an estimated 1 million children <5 years of age die of pneumococcal disease every year (5). All pneumococcal diseases arise from bacterial colonization, and the adaptability of the virulence characteristics