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Background

Nasopharyngeal carriage of pneumococci is prevalent among children in developing countries but little is known about the relationship of nasopharyngeal cariage to invasive disease or about the way in which pneumococci spread within households.

Objectives

To determine the prevalence of nasopharyngeal carriage in healthy and sick Gambian children and to investigate transmission within households.

Methods

Nasopharyngeal swabs were obtained by the per nasal route and cultured for pneumococci on selective media. Pneumococci were serotyped with the use of latex particles coated with type-specific antisera.

Results

Pneumococci were isolated from the nasopharynx of 73 (90.1%) of 81 children with invasive pneumococcal disease, 86 (76.1%) of 113 healthy, age-matched control children and 911 (85.1%) of 1071 sick children. Pneumococci belonging to serotypes 1, 14 and 12 were isolated …