The epidemiology of pneumococcal carriage and infections in Malaysia.
In Malaysia, various aspects of the epidemiology of pneumococcal carriage and disease remain largely unclear due to the lack of supporting data. Although a number of relevant studies have been documented, their individual discrete findings are not sufficient to inform experts on pneumococcal epidemiology at a national level. Therefore, in this review we aim to bring together and systematically evaluate the key information regarding pneumococcal disease epidemiology in Malaysia and provide a comprehensive overview of the data. Major aspects discussed include pneumococcal carriage, disease incidence and prevalence, age factors, invasiveness of pneumococci, serotypes, molecular epidemiology and antibiotic susceptibility. Penicillin resistance is increasingly prevalent and studies suggest that the majority of pneumococcal serotypes causing pneumococcal disease in Malaysia are covered by currently available conjugate vaccines. Continued surveillance is needed to provide a better understanding of pneumococcal epidemiology in Malaysia.
Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Cheng-Foh
CF
Le
Johanna M
JM
Jefferies
Mohd Yasim Mohd
MY
Yusof
Shamala Devi
SD
Sekaran
Stuart C
SC
Clarke
D000293:Adolescent; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D015995:Prevalence; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000235:genetics*