Frequently Asked Questions What is pneumococcal infection? Pneumococcal disease is caused by pneumococcus, the bacteria. There
more than 90 subtypes. Most subtypes can cause disease, but only some >> << the majority of invasive pneumococcal infections. 10 most common subtypes
cause 62% of invasive disease worldwide. How Pneumococcal infection spreads? The disease is transmitted from person to person by droplets in the air.
Pneumococcus bacteria are common inhabitants of the respiratory tract. They >> << can be isolated from the nasopharynx of 5% -70% of normal, healthy adults. What disease can cause bacteria pneumococcus? There are three basic conditions caused by invasive pneumococcal infections:
pneumonia, bacteremia and meningitis. All of them are caused by infection with >> << same bacteria, but have different symptoms. Pneumococcal pneumonia (lung disease) is the most common disease caused by bacteria
pneumococcus. It is believed that
175 000 hospitalizations due to pneumococcal pneumonia each year occurs in
United States. The incubation period is short >> << (13 days). Symptoms include sudden fever, chills or fever,
chest pain, cough, shortness of breath, rapid breathing >> << and heart rate, and weakness. Mortality at 5% and 7% can be
much higher in the elderly. Pneumococcal bacteremia (blood infection) occurs in about 25% to 30% of patients with pneumococcal
pneumonia. More than 50000
cases of pneumococcal bacteremia occurs annually in the United States. Microbiemia is the most common clinical presentation >> << among children younger than two years, representing 70% of invasive disease in this group. Overall case-fatality rate
bacteremia is about 20% but can reach 60% among elderly patients >>. << Pneumococci cause 13% of 19% of all cases of bacterial meningitis
(infection coating head or spinal cord) in
United States. Is 3,0006,000
pneumococcal meningitis cases each year. Symptoms may include headache,
fatigue, vomiting, irritability, fever, cramps and
coma. Children younger than one year have a high level of pneumococcal meningitis
,
about 10 cases per 100,000 people. Mortality is high (30% overall, with
80% among seniors). Pneumococci also
common cause of acute otitis media (middle ear infection). Approximately 28%
55% of ear infections caused by S. pneumonia
. In the United States, were cases of otitis 5000000
every year in children younger than five years
using conjugated pneumococcal vaccine. Middle ear infection
is the most common cause of
pediatric office visits in the U.S., resulting in more than 20 million
visits per year. How serious is Pneumococcal disease? Pneumococcal infection is a serious disease that causes much sickness and death. In fact, Pneumococcal disease kills more
people in the United States each year than all other vaccine-preventable diseases
together. More than 40,000 cases and more than 4400
deaths of invasive pneumococcal disease (bacteremia and meningitis
) is estimated to have occurred in
United States in 2005. More than half of these cases occurred in adults, for yaks
pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine was
recommended. Young children and older people (those under five years
years and those over 65 years
) with the highest level of serious disease. Mortality is highest for meningitis and bacteremia, and the highest mortality
common in the elderly and
patients with underlying disease. Despite appropriate antibiotic therapy
and intensive care, >> << total mortality from pneumococcal bacteremia is about 20% of the adult population.
Among elderly patients, this figure may be as
reaches 60%. Before routine use of vaccines for children in the United States
Pneumococcal infection is a serious problem in
children under five years. Each year, he was responsible for causing
700 cases of meningitis, 13,000 blood poisoning
five million ear infections and 200 deaths. After you enter
of pneumococcal vaccine for children
2000 the incidence of pneumococcal infections has decreased. While >> << its introduction, approximately 80% of disease caused by
7 serotypes contained in the new vaccine. After the vaccine was introduced
was rapid decrease morbidity >> << caused by serotypes and rapid growth of serotypes not included in the
vaccines. There was a significant reduction >> << rates of invasive pneumococcal disease caused by a family
, serotypes in unvaccinated adults, probably due to reduced
in the transfer of immunization of children their families and other close contacts. Is there a treatment for pneumococcal strattera online infection? Penicillin is the drug of choice for treatment of pneumococcal infections, but
resistance to penicillin and other antibiotics >> << was on the rise. Studies show that in some areas
United States to 40% of invasive pneumococci
resistant to conventional antibiotics. Treatment of patients infected with resistant organisms requires >>
expensive alternative antimicrobial agents and may lead to prolonged hospitalization. Increasing complexity of the treatment of serious bacterial infection causes
prevention through vaccination even more
important. How long a person with pneumococcal infections contagious? The exact period of communicability is not known. It seems that the transfer >> << can happen as long as the body remains a secret
airways. How common is pneumococcal infection in the United States? Doctors are not obliged by law to report pneumococcal infection for
health authorities, so exact numbers are unknown
Estimates were made of various population studies, however, the
. and it is believed that more than 40,000 cases of invasive pneumococcal
diseases (meningitis and blood poisoning) occurs annually
in the United States. (Pneumonia and
middle ear infections are most common, but not considered invasive disease
). Incidence varies
is in the age groups. The highest level of invasive pneumococcal infections is
in infants, especially in age than
age of two years. Children with certain chronic diseases (such as sickle cell disease
or HIV) are at very high risk >> << invasive disease. Can you get pneumococcal infections more than once? Yes. There are 90 known subtypes of pneumococcus bacteria, with 23 subtypes
included in the current pneumococcal polysaccharide
(for adults) vaccine and 13 subtypes included in the current combined
(child) vaccine. Being infected
one type of patient is not always immune to other types. Even if a person
had one or more episodes of invasive pneumococcal
disease, he or she should be vaccinated. Technically considered Centers
Disease Control and Prevention, September 2010.
