title: Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus carriage in healthy school-age children and adolescents.
abstract: Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus are common commensals of the upper respiratory tract in children and adolescents. Understanding the relationship between these two pathogens, including their potential for mutual interference, is needed to evaluate the epidemiology of the diseases they cause, the factors that condition acquisition and carriage, and the impact of related preventative measures. We obtained oropharyngeal and nasal swabs from 497 healthy subjects aged 6-17 years. S. pneumoniae detection and serotyping were performed using a real-time PCR and S. aureus detection was performed using the RIDAGENE MRSA system. We found that 136 (27.3%) of the children were carriers of both species, 121 (24.3%) of the children carried S. pneumoniae alone and 128 (25.7%) of the children carried S. aureus alone. S. aureus carriage was similar between children who carried S. pneumoniae (136/257, 52.9 %, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 46.8-58.9%) vs those who did not (128/240, 53.3%, 95% CI: 47.0 -59.5%) and was independent of age and vaccination with 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7). Vaccination with PCV7 did not affect S. aureus carriage [S. pneumoniae: 84/143 (58.7%, 95% CI: 50.5 -66.5%) vaccinated children vs 171/351 (48.7%, 95% CI: 43.5 -53.9%) unvaccinated children; S. aureus: 67/143 (46.9%, 95% CI: 38.9-55.0 %) vaccinated children vs 195/351 (55.6%, 95% CI: 50.3 -60.7%) unvaccinated children]. Pneumococcal serotype also did not appear to affect S. aureus carriage. These findings suggested that the carriage of S. pneumoniae did not affect that of S. aureus in older children and adolescents, regardless of age, PCV7 vaccination and pneumococcal serotype.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Highly Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Highly Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Terranova
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Highly Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ruggiero
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Highly Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ascolese
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Highly Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Montinaro
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Highly Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Walter Peves
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Rios
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlotta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Galeone
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Highly Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Principi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D002648:Child; D060085:Coinfection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; D058889:Molecular Typing; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology; D009960:Oropharynx / Q000382:microbiology; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D015995:Prevalence; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013334:Students