Insights Into Pneumococcal Pneumonia Using Lung Aspirates and Nasopharyngeal Swabs Collected From Pneumonia Patients in The Gambia.

Background: We investigated the pathogenesis of pneumococcal pneumonia using clinical specimens collected for pneumonia surveillance in The Gambia.

Methods: Lung aspirates and nasopharyngeal swabs from 31 patients were examined by culture, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), whole genome sequencing, serotyping, and reverse-transcription qPCR.

Results: Five lung aspirates cultured pneumococci, with a matching strain identified in the nasopharynx.