title: Nasopharyngeal swabs of school children, useful in rapid assessment of community antimicrobial resistance patterns in Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study evaluates the feasibility of rapid surveillance of community antimicrobial resistance (AMR) patterns of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae in India using nasopharyngeal swabs (NPSs) of school children. It compares the AMR data obtained with that of invasive and nasopharyngeal (NP) isolates studied previously. No one has done such surveillance since our study so we decided to publish and more clearly demonstrate the feasibility of the methodology we did.
  
  
  METHODS
  This community-based, cross-sectional, cluster sample study had seven centers; each had two sites distant to them. Two hundred sixty school children per center were enrolled. NP swabbing was performed and isolates identified as S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae at each center were sent to reference laboratories.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From January to December 2004, 1,988 NP swabs were processed; 776 S. pneumoniae and 64 H. influenzae were isolated. The AMR patterns for S. pneumoniae to co-trimoxazole varied, with sensitivity as low as 6% in Mumbai, 29% in Chennai and Vellore, and 100% in Delhi and Lucknow. For H. influenzae, sensitivity rates to co-trimoxazole ranged from 22% to 62%. The AMR patterns for both bacteria in the present study with data from invasive and NP isolates studied earlier were similar.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study demonstrates that it is practical and feasible to rapidly assess the AMR patterns of both S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae in NPSs of school children in different geographic locations all over India.
authors.affiliation: thambu@cmcvellore.ac.in
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Lalitha
authors.forename: Thambu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: David
authors.forename: Kurien
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D006192:Haemophilus Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000382:microbiology*; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000187:drug effects*; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination