Pneumococcal disease is caused by common bacteria (Streptococcus pneumoniae) that can attack different parts of the body. When these bacteria invade the lungs, they can cause pneumonia; when they invade the bloodstream, they can cause sepsis; and when they invade the covering of the brain, they can cause meningitis.
How do you get Streptococcus pneumoniae?
Streptococcus pneumoniae is spread from person to person by the inhalation of respiratory droplets (e.g. coughing, sneezing) from an infected person. It is not known why certain individuals develop invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae disease while others do not.
What type of pneumonia is Streptococcus pneumoniae?
Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a Gram-positive bacterium that is responsible for the majority of community-acquired pneumonia. It is a commensal organism in the human respiratory tract, meaning that it benefits from the human body, without harming it.
Which disease is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae?
Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) can cause a range of different illnesses including sinusitis, otitis media, pneumonia, bacteraemia, osteomyelitis, septic arthritis and meningitis.
Is Streptococcus pneumoniae the same as pneumonia?
The main types of pneumonia are: Bacterial pneumonia. This type is caused by various bacteria. The most common is Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Is strep pneumonia and pneumococcal the same?
Streptococcus pneumoniae are lancet-shaped, gram-positive, facultative anaerobic bacteria with 100 known serotypes. Most S. pneumoniae serotypes can cause disease, but only a minority of serotypes produce the majority of pneumococcal infections. Pneumococci are common inhabitants of the respiratory tract.
How common is strep pneumonia?
The overall rate of confirmed S. pneumoniae infection in the United States is 5.16 to 6.11 cases/100,000 in adults with the rate for those older than 65 years being 36.4/100,000 and infants younger than 1 year being 34.2/100,000.
How is Streptococcus pneumonia diagnosed?
Definitively diagnosing Streptococcus pneumoniae infection generally relies on isolating the organism from blood or other normally sterile body sites. Tests are also available to detect capsular polysaccharide antigen in body fluids.
How does streptococcus pneumonia work?
Streptococcus pneumoniae is an infectious pathogen responsible for millions of deaths worldwide. Diseases caused by this bacterium are classified as pneumococcal diseases. This pathogen colonizes the nasopharynx of its host asymptomatically, but overtime can migrate to sterile tissues and organs and cause infections.
