Impact of Hajj on the S. pneumoniae carriage among Indian pilgrims during 2016- a longitudinal molecular surveillance study.

Background: The population flow dynamics of Hajj increases the probability of pneumococcal acquisition and amplification among Hajis. This multi-site longitudinal molecular surveillance study was designed to assess the impact and potential variations of pneumococcal carriage in a single cohort of pre and post-Hajj pilgrims from India.

Method: A total of 3228 pre and post-Hajj, nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs were collected from 807 pilgrims with an interval of 40 ± 5 days.