Marked differences in pneumococcal carriage and resistance patterns between day care centers located within a small area.
Carriage rates of Streptococcus pneumoniae and their antibiotic resistance, capsular types, and genetic patterns were studied among 264 children aged 12-35 months attending 8 day care centers located within a 2.5-mile radius in the same city. Nasopharyngeal cultures were obtained within a 2-month interval from all 264 children. Significant differences in each of the studied characteristics were found between day care centers, and each day care center had a unique pattern of the carried pneumococci. Our findings show that day care centers are independent microenvironments and emphasize their role in the transmission and augmentation of antibiotic-resistant S. pneumoniae in the community.
Givon-Lavi
N
N
Pediatric Infectious Disease Unit, and Epidemiology Department, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva 84101, Israel.
Dagan
R
R
Fraser
D
D
Yagupsky
P
P
Porat
N
N
D002353:Carrier State / Q000382:microbiology*; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D012703:Serotyping; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014611:Vaccination