Epidemiology of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus colonization in healthy Venezuelan children

• Published in: European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases 2011-01, Vol.30 (1), p.7-19
• Main Authors: Quintero, B, Araque, M, van der Gaast-de Jongh, C, Escalona, F, Correa, M, Morillo-Puente, S, Vielma, S, Hermans, P. W. M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antibiotics; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial Typing Techniques; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Carrier State - epidemiology; Child, Preschool; Colonization; Drug resistance; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Ear diseases; Epidemiology; Family Health; Female; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Immunization; Infectious diseases; Internal Medicine; Male; Medical Microbiology; Medical sciences; Meningitis; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Microbiology; Mortality; Nose; Parasitology; Pathogens; Pediatrics; Pneumococcal Infections - epidemiology; Pneumonia; Population; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Serotyping; Siblings; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomics; Staphylococcal Infections - epidemiology; Staphylococcal infections, streptococcal infections, pneumococcal infections; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus aureus - isolation & purification; Staphylococcus infections; Streptococcus infections; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Streptococcus pneumoniae - isolation & purification; Vaccines; Venezuela - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0934-9723; 1435-4373
• DOI: 10.1007/s10096-010-1044-6

Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. We investigated both the colonization and co-colonization characteristics for these pathogens among 250 healthy children from 2 to 5 years of age in Merida, Venezuela, in 2007. The prevalence of S. pneumoniae colonization, S. aureus colonization, and S. pneumoniae-S. aureus co-colonization was 28%, 56%, and 16%, respectively. Pneumococcal serotypes 6B (14%), 19F (12%), 23F (12%), 15 (9%), 6A (8%), 11 (8%), 23A (6%), and 34 (6%) were the most prevalent. Non-respiratory atopy was a risk factor for S. aureus colonization (p = 0.017). Vaccine serotypes were negatively associated with preceding respiratory infection (p = 0.02) and with S. aureus colonization (p = 0.03). We observed a high prevalence of pneumococcal resistance against trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (40%), erythromycin (38%), and penicillin (14%). Semi-quantitative measurement of pneumococcal colonization density showed that children with young siblings and low socioeconomic status were more densely colonized (p = 0.02 and p = 0.02, respectively). In contrast, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole- and multidrug-resistant-pneumococci colonized children sparsely (p = 0.03 and p = 0.01, respectively). Our data form an important basis to monitor the future impact of pneumococcal vaccination on bacterial colonization, as well as to recommend a rationalized and restrictive antimicrobial use in our community.