Received 9 January
2002; accepted 18 July 2002; electronically published 21 October 2002.
The serotypedistribution of 781 nasopharyngeal
pneumococcal isolates recovered from2448 unselected children
aged223
months was studied.Only 3.9% of thechildren for whom
cultureswere performed attended daycare centers. The
proportionsof pneumococcal isolates thatbelonged to
serotypes relatedto the 7-, 9-and 11-valent
conjugate pneumococcalvaccine were 65%, 66%,and 70%,
respectively. Thepneumococcal carriage rate among
untreated children was 34%;the rates among children
treated with antibiotics duringthe periods 130
or3160
days before thetime of nasopharyngeal samplingwere
25% and 36%,respectively. There was asignificant
positive association betweenantimicrobial use and carriageof antibiotic-resistant pneumococci, whichbelonged mainly
to vaccine-relatedserotypes. The proportion of
isolates that belonged tovaccine-related serotypes in untreatedcarriers was 72%; however,the proportions in carrierstreated 130
days or3160
days before samplingwere 66% and 56%,respectively.
In the nasopharynx,antimicrobial use selects for
antibiotic-resistant pneumococci, mainly ofvaccine-related
serotypes, whereas itmay promote an increasein the
frequency ofcolonization with nonvaccine serotypes.
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MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS
OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR
LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND
COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH
YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.
23
months was studied. Only 3.9% of the children for whom
cultures were performed attended day care centers. The
proportions of pneumococcal isolates that belonged to
serotypes related to the 7-, 9- and 11-valent
conjugate pneumococcal vaccine were 65%, 66%, and 70%,
respectively. The pneumococcal carriage rate among
untreated children was 34%; the rates among children
treated with antibiotics during the periods 1