Abstract
We applied a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and culture to detect Streptococcus pneumoniae and detected 3 other respiratory pathogens Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Alloiococcus otitidis simultaneously by PCR, in the nasopharynx of 386 children aged under 5 y. S. pneumoniae was the most common pathogen carried by children in all age groups, with the rate ranging from 15.8% in children aged 34 y to 28.6% in children aged 23 y. H. influenzae and M. catarrhalis showed similar carriage rates across all the age groups. Only 2 young children (0.5%) carried A. otitidis. Higher carriage of S. pneumoniae was found in children who had not received the heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7). Cefotaxime non-susceptibility was high (51.4%) in S. pneumoniae nasopharyngeal isolates. Serotype 6B was the most common in fully immunized carriers and also in those who received catch-up immunization. Due to low PCV7 coverage in Taiwan, the carriage of vaccine and non-vaccine serotypes of S. pneumoniae in children remains common.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 937-942 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases |
Volume | 43 |
Issue number | 11-12 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Dec 2011 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Children
- Nasopharyngeal carriage
- Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine(all)
- Immunology and Microbiology(all)
- Microbiology (medical)
- Infectious Diseases