Impact of age on pneumococcal colonization of the nasopharynx and oral cavity: an ecological perspective.

Pneumococcal carriage studies have suggested that pneumococcal colonization in adults is largely limited to the oral cavity and oropharynx. In this study, we used total abundance-based β-diversity (dissimilarity) and β-diversity components to characterize age-related differences in pneumococcal serotype composition of respiratory samples. quantitative PCR (qPCR) was applied to detect pneumococcal serotypes in nasopharyngeal samples collected from 946 toddlers and 602 adults, saliva samples collected from a subset of 653 toddlers, and saliva and oropharyngeal samples collected from a subset of 318 adults.

A spitting image: molecular diagnostics applied to saliva enhance detection of and pneumococcal serotype carriage.

Background: Despite strong historical records on the accuracy of saliva testing, oral fluids are considered poorly suited for pneumococcal carriage detection. We evaluated an approach for carriage surveillance and vaccine studies that increases the sensitivity and specificity of pneumococcus and pneumococcal serotype detection in saliva samples.

Methods: Quantitative PCR (qPCR)-based methods were applied to detect pneumococcus and pneumococcal serotypes in 971 saliva samples collected from 653 toddlers and 318 adults.

It Takes Two to Tango: Combining Conventional Culture With Molecular Diagnostics Enhances Accuracy of Detection and Pneumococcal Serogroup/Serotype Determination in Carriage.

Background: The specificity of molecular methods for the detection of carriage is under debate. We propose a procedure for carriage surveillance and vaccine impact studies that increases the accuracy of molecular detection of live pneumococci in polymicrobial respiratory samples.

Methods: Culture and qPCR methods were applied to detect pneumococcus and pneumococcal serotypes in 1,549 nasopharyngeal samples collected in the Netherlands ( = 972) and England ( = 577) from 946 toddlers and 603 adults, and in paired oropharyngeal samples collected exclusively from 319 Dutch adults.

Influenza-like Illness Exacerbates Pneumococcal Carriage in Older Adults.

Background: In older adults, pneumococcal disease is strongly associated with respiratory viral infections, but the impact of viruses on Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage prevalence and load remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effects of influenza-like illness (ILI) on pneumococcal carriage in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: We investigated the presence of pneumococcal DNA in saliva samples collected in the 2014/2015 influenza season from 232 individuals aged ≥60 years at ILI onset, followed by sampling 2-3 weeks and 7-9 weeks after the first sample.

Comparative genomics reveals a lack of evidence for pigeons as a main source of stx-carrying Escherichia coli causing disease in humans and the common existence of hybrid Shiga toxin-producing and enteropathogenic E. coli pathotypes.

Background: Wild birds, in particular pigeons are considered a natural reservoir for stx-carrying E. coli. An extensive comparison of isolates from pigeons and humans from the same region is lacking, which hampers justifiable conclusions on the epidemiology of these pathogens.