title: Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage among healthy and sick pediatric patients before the generalized implementation of the 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine in Morocco from 2010 to 2011.
abstract: Nasopharyngeal carriage studies provide insights into the local prevalence of circulating pneumococcal serotypes. These data are critical to vaccination monitoring, as they allow for the prediction and assessment of impact. Very little data are available on the carriage of pneumococcal serotypes in Morocco. Here, we describe the prevalence of Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage and serotype distribution among 697 pediatric patients with ages ranging from 2 to 59 months who were admitted to a Moroccan hospital with severe pneumonia, as well as 195 healthy infants and young children who were recruited at a vaccination clinic. Carriage rates were 40.5% (79/195) for healthy children and 22.8% (159/697) for sick children. The most commonly observed circulating serotypes included 6A, 6B and 19F, all of which are included in the current 13-valent anti-pneumococcal conjugate vaccine that was recently introduced in Morocco. Monitoring of circulating serotypes remains necessary after vaccine introduction to assess whether serotype replacement is occurring.
authors.affiliation: ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clinic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Unit of Training and Research in Public Health, School of Medicine and Pharmacy of Rabat, University Mohamed V, Rabat, Morocco. Electronic address: imane.jroundi@cresib.cat.
authors.forename: Imane
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jroundi
authors.affiliation: Hopital d'Enfants de Rabat, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Ibn Sina, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: Chafik
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mahraoui
authors.affiliation: ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clinic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Rachid
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Benmessaoud
authors.affiliation: ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clinic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Cinta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moraleda
authors.affiliation: University Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Munoz Almagro
authors.affiliation: Hopital d'Enfants de Rabat, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Ibn Sina, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: Meryem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Seffar
authors.affiliation: Hopital d'Enfants de Rabat, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Ibn Sina, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: Houssain
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tligui
authors.affiliation: Hopital d'Enfants de Rabat, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Ibn Sina, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: Selma C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kettani
authors.affiliation: Hopital d'Enfants de Rabat, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Ibn Sina, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: Badr S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Benjelloun
authors.affiliation: ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clinic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Pedro L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Alonso
authors.affiliation: ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clinic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique.
authors.forename: Quique
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Bassat
mesh_terms: D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009018:Morocco / Q000453:epidemiology; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000382:microbiology; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015995:Prevalence; D065288:Serogroup; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: C538862:13-valent pneumococcal vaccine; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines
keywords: Children; Nasopharyngeal carriage; Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines; Serotypes; Streptococcus pneumoniae