Reported Distributions Of S. pneumoniae Serotypes May Be Inaccurate.(Brief Article)

2001 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) --

by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Differences in diagnostic and reporting practices in America and Europe, rather than a difference in geographic epidemiology, may account for the variance in serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae, according to a study published in the Lancet.

Researchers have observed that S. pneumoniae serotypes, of which there are more than 90, appear to vary geographically, even between regions as socioeconomically similar as western Europe and North America.

The identification of the serotypes most likely to cause invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) has become more relevant in the effort to develop glycoconjugate vaccines for S. pneumoniae that are effective in very young children, explained W.P. Hausdorff and colleagues at Wyeth Lederle Vaccines in the U.S.

They postulated that rather than an actual difference in distribution of serotypes, there is a difference in the rate of blood culture, with Western European doctors less likely than U.S. doctors to diagnose or report mild IPD.

The serotypes of S. pneumoniae that appear at similar rates in both regions are more likely to be virulent and cause serious disease, reported Hausdorff and team ("Geographical ...