Bacterial bronchitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and nontypable Haemophilus influenzae in children: the impact of vaccination.
BACKGROUND
Protracted bacterial bronchitis is a major cause of persistent cough in childhood. The organisms most commonly isolated are nontypable Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae . There are no studies addressing typing of these organisms when recovered from the lower airways.


METHODS
Isolates of these two organisms (identified in BAL samples from children undergoing routine investigation of a chronic cough thought to be attributable to a protracted bacterial bronchitis) were subject to typing. Samples were collected in Sheffield, England, and Athens, Greece. The majority of the children from Sheffield had received pneumococcal-conjugate vaccines 7 or 13 (PCV-7 or PCV-13) conjugate vaccine but only a minority of Greek children had received PCV-7.


RESULTS
All 18 S pneumoniae isolates from Greek BAL samples are serotypes contained in PCV-13 while 10 are contained in PCV-7. In contrast, 28 of the 39 samples from Sheffield contained serotypes that are not included in PCV-13. All 26 of the nontypable H influenzae samples obtained in Sheffield produced distinct multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis profiles. There was a significant difference between children from Athens and Sheffield in the distribution of serotypes contained or not contained in the pneumococcal vaccine ( P = .04). More specifically, immunization with pneumococcal vaccine was related with isolation of S pneumoniae serotypes not included in the vaccine (OR, 0.021; CI, 0.003-0.115; P < .001).


CONCLUSIONS
The data suggest that both vaccine and nonvaccine S pneumoniae serotypes may play a role in protracted bacterial bronchitis and provide some hints that serotype replacement may occur in response to the introduction of conjugate vaccines.
Third Department of Paediatrics, University General Hospital Attikon, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Kostas N
KN
Priftis
Respiratory and Systemic Infection Laboratory, HPA Microbiology Services, Colindale, Health Protection Agency, London, England.
David
D
Litt
Respiratory and Systemic Infection Laboratory, HPA Microbiology Services, Colindale, Health Protection Agency, London, England.
Sapna
S
Manglani
Respiratory Unit, Department of Paediatrics, University of Patras, Patra, Greece.
Michael B
MB
Anthracopoulos
Microbiology Department, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, England.
Keith
K
Thickett
National Meningitis Reference Laboratory, National School of Public Health, Athens, Greece.
Georgina
G
Tzanakaki
Microbiology Department, Western Bank, Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, England.
Patricia
P
Fenton
Department of Pediatrics, University of Thessaly, School of Medicine, University Hospital of Larissa, Larissa, Greece.
George A
GA
Syrogiannopoulos
Department of Clinical Microbiology, 'Penteli' Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Aliki
A
Vogiatzi
Third Department of Paediatrics, University General Hospital Attikon, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Konstantinos
K
Douros
Respiratory and Systemic Infection Laboratory, HPA Microbiology Services, Colindale, Health Protection Agency, London, England.
Mary
M
Slack
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, England. Electronic address: m.l.everard@sheffield.ac.uk.
Mark L
ML
Everard
D000293:Adolescent; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D060005:Genotyping Techniques; D006192:Haemophilus Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D018073:Haemophilus Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000145:classification*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012703:Serotyping; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000145:classification*; D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate / Q000627:therapeutic use
C538862:13-valent pneumococcal vaccine; D018073:Haemophilus Vaccines; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines; D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate