Nasopharyngeal colonization and penicillin resistance among pneumococcal strains: a Worldwide 2004 update

Surveillance of nasopharyngeal pneumococcus has proven to be a valuable tool for the monitoring of antibiotic resistance. We reviewed the latest information on colonization rate and penicillin resistance by making a MEDLINE search, using the terms "nasopharyngeal carriage" and "Streptococcus pneumoniae". Out of 225 articles found, data from 109 recent publications (89 percent from 1996-2003) were analyzed. Data were reported from 41 countries of six continents. Individuals under the age of five (64.3 percent) or 10 years (85.7 percent) were enrolled, including children attending day-care centers (32.1 percent) or orphanages (3.6 percent), and healthy individuals (78.6 percent) or sick patients (43.6 percent); biological samples were collected mainly by nasopharyngeal swabs (89.3 percent). The highest colonization rates were reported from Africa (85-87.2 percent), where several authors did not find high rates of penicillin resistance. On the other hand, studies conducted in North and Central America reported high-level penicillin resistance at rates of approximately 20-30 percent. Great variation in the rates of pneumococcal colonization and penicillin resistance were observed within regions or continents. There were also considerable differences in similar populations located in different areas of the same country. Data regarding pneumococcal colonization and penicillin resistance are not available from most countries. We also examined the use of antibiotics to treat pneumococcal infections.

Childhood pneumonia: clinical aspects associated with hospitalization or death

OBJECTIVE: To determine which available information at an Emergency Room (ER) consultation is associated with hospitalization or death among children with pneumonia. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: The ER of one university and one private hospital. MEASUREMENT: Using stepwise logistic regression we analyzed factors that showed a univariate association. MAIN RESULTS: Of 2,970 cases, the median age was 1.83 years (range 2 days to 14.5 yrs, mean 2.76 +/- 2.72 yrs); 25.8 were hospitalized and 0.8 died. Age (2-11 mos, OR 0.4 [0.2-0.6]; 12-59 mos, OR 0.2 [0.1-0.4]; > or = 5 yrs, OR 0.1 [0.08-0.3]), malnutrition (OR 2.0 [1.4-2.7]), underlying chronic illness (OR 1.4 [1.1-1.8]), tachypnea (OR 1.8 [1.4-2.4]), chest indrawing (OR 1.7 [1.4-2.2]), and somnolence (OR 1.8 [1.4-2.4]) were associated with hospitalization and age (2-11 mos, OR 0.3 [0.08-0.8]; > or = 12 mos, OR 0.06 [0.02-0.2]), malnutrition (OR 3.1 [1.2-7.7]) and underlying chronic illness (OR 4.3 [1.6-11.0]) were associated with death in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Several clinical aspects may be used in assessing need for hospitalization (i.e. young age, malnutrition, underlying chronic illness, tachypnea, chest indrawing and somnolence) for children with pneumonia seen at the ER. Individual intrinsic factors such as age, malnutrition and underlying chronic illness were independently associated with death. Pneumonia should be considered a treatable disease and complete recovery can be achieved in the majority of the cases.

Etiology od childhood community acquired pneumonia and its implications for vaccination

Pneumonia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality among children throughout the world. Vaccines are available for some organisms, but they are underutilized and/or still development. To evaluate the potential impact of vaccines, we review studies in which the etiology of childhood community-acquired pneuminia was recorded. In North America and Europe (9 studies), the etiology of pneumonia was established in 62 percent of studied children (range 43 percent-88 percent) by use of noninvasive specific methods for microbiologic diagnosis. The most often identified agents were S.pneumoniae (22 percent), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (20 percent), Haemophilus influenzae (7 percent), and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (15 percent). In Africa and South America (8 studies), bacteria were recovered from 56 percent (range 32 percent-68 percent) of severely ill children studied by lung aspirate. The most often isolated bacteria were Streptococcus pneumoniae (33 percent) and Hemophilus influenzae (21 percent). A high percentage of H.influenzae strains were not serotype b. Throughout the world, children requiring hospitalization were most likely to have infection caused by pneumococcus H.influenzae or RSV. Out patient also had Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Countries in Africa and Asia recorded 2 to times more children with pneumonia (7 to 40/100 annually) than in the USA. Widespread use of pneumococcal and H.influenzae type b conjugate vaccines could reduce the frequency of children pneumoniae by one-third. Further reduction will require development of non-type b H.influenzae, RSV and M.pneumoniae vaccines. This could result in a > 50 percent reduction of pneumonia in children. This goal should be sought achieved as soon as possible.

Community acquired Pneumonia among pediatric outpatients in Salvador, northeast Brazil, with emphasis on the role of pneumococcus

Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of hospitalization and death among children in developing counties,, and mortality due to pneumoniae has been associated with S. pneumoniae infection. This investigation was designed to describe the antimicrobial susceptibility and serotype patterns of pneumococcal strains recovered from the blood of children with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and to acess the clinical findings of pneumococcal bacteremic patients with pneumonia. In a 26 month prospective study, blood cultures were obtained as often as possible from children(<16 years of age) diagnosed with CAP in two emergency rooms. Antimicrobial drug susceptibility tests and serotyping were performed when pneumococcus was identified. We studied 3,431 cases and cultured blood samples from 65.5 percent of those. Pneumococcus was recovered from 0.8 percent of the blood samples. The differences in age, somnolence, wheezing and hospitalization among children with and without pneumococcal bacteremia were statistically significant. Pneumococcal bacteremia was age-related (mean 1.63 +1.55; median 0.92) and associated with somnolence and hospitalization among children with CAP. One strain was recovered from pleural fluid. Penicillin resistance was detected in 21.0 percent(4/19) of the strains at an intermediate level, whereas 63.0 percent of the strains were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. The most common serotypes were 14 and 6B, and these serotypes included the resistant strains. Eight of our 18 isolates from blood were of types included in the heptavalent conjugate pneumococcal vaccine, recently licensed in the USA.

Normal cerebrospinal fluid values in full-term gestation and premature neonates

Results of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examinations from 77 high-risk neonates were reviewed. The mean CSF white cells (WBC) count was 4.5 cell/mm3, being two standard deviations above the mean 11.7 cells/mm3 in the full-term gestation neonate group; in the premature neonate one, the mean CSF WBC count was 5.1 cells/mm3, being two standard deviations above the mean 16.7 cell/mm3. PMNs (polymorphonuclear leukocytes) were present in less than 40 per cent of those children, being the mean PMN percentage 4.2 per cent and 0.6 per cent, the mean ANC (absolute neutrophil count) was 0.3/mm3 and 0.06/mm3, in full-term gestation neonate group and premature neonate one, respectively. The mean CSF protein concentration is significantly greater in those premature neonates (101.2 mg/dl) compared with that in term neonates (77.6 mg/dl). The average glucose was just the same in both groups (67 mg/dl). All of these values were from patients who underwent nontraumatic cisternal puncture, with no red blood cells (RBC/mm3=0). Traumatic puncture, even up to 500 RBC/mm3, interfered on CSF parameters.

Etiologia de meningites bacterianas da populaçäo de Salvador - Bahia / Etiology of bacterial meningitis among some children in Salvador - Bahia

As meningites bacterianas constituem patologia importante na faixa etária pediátrica. Com o objetivo de conhecer a distribuiçao da etiologia desta patologia em uma amostra da populaçao de Salvador, Bahia, foram analisados, retrospectivamente, 7000 exames de líquor, realizados entre setembro de 1988 a agosto de 1995, no laboratório de liquorologia da Fundaçao José Silveira. Foram selecionados 892 (12,7 por cento) exames realizados em pacientes menores de 16 anos e com suspeita de meningite, entre os 139 casos de meningite bacteriana, H. influenzae tipo b foi o agente mais frequente (26,0 por cento), ocorrendo em 100 por cento das vezes em menores de 5 anos. Observou-se tendência na queda do número de casos de meningite por H. influenzae tipo b a partir de 1992. Questiona-se se este fato decorre do uso da vacina anti H. influenzae tipo b nesta amostra da populaçao.