Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Asymptomatic colonization of upper respiratory tract by potential bacterial pathogens

  • Published:
The Indian Journal of Pediatrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

To screen for asymptomatic respiratory carriage of S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae and Group A Streptococcus (GAS) in children attending JIPMER, correlate carriage rate with different socio-demographic factors and to detect antimicrobial resistance among the isolates.

Methods

Throat swabs were collected from both in patients and out patients (≤12 yr of age) and processed. Bacteria were identified by Standard techniques. Susceptibility to commonly used antimicrobial agents was determined by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion technique.

Results

Overall carriage rate of respiratory pathogens was 30% with S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae and GAS accounting for 22%, 5% and 4.5% respectively. Three patients had >1 organism. Antibiotic resistance was highest in S. pneumoniae with 66.7% of strains resistant to penicillin. MDR strains were also encountered. Erythromycin resistance was observed in both H. influenzae (28.4%) and GAS (22%). No statistically significant association was found between the carriage rate of these organisms and different socio-demographic factors.

Conclusions

S. pneumoniae carriage rate was comparatively higher in the Community and its antimicrobial resistance is an issue to address.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Wessels RM. Streptococcal and Enterococcal Infection. In Braunwald E, Kasper D, Fauci A, Hauser S, Longo D, Jameson JL eds. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Mediane, 16th ed, New York; The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. 2005;823–831.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Kanungo R, Lima D, Rajalakshmi B, Natarajan MK, Badrinath S. Throat carriage of Pneumococci in healthy school children in the Union Territory of Pondicherry. Ind Med Res 2000;112:100–103.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Charmaine AC, Jacob SE, Menon T. Pharyngeal carriage of Group A Streptococci in school children in Chennai. Ind J Med Res 2004;124:195–198.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Masuda K, Masuda R, Nishi JN, Tokuda K, Yoshinaga M, Miyata K. Incidence of nasopharyngeal carriage of respiratory bacterial pathogens in Japanese children attending day care centers. Pediatr Int 2002;44:376.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Gazi H, Kurutepe S, Sürücüoglu S, Teker A, Özbakkaloglu B. Antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial pathogens in the Oropharynx of healthy school children in Turkey. Ind J Med Res 2004;120:489–494.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Jain A, Kumar P, Awasthi S. High nasopharyngeal carriage of drug resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae and Hemophilus influenzae in Indian school children. Trop Med Int Hlth 2005;10:234–239.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Garcia-Rodriguez JA, Fresnadillo MMJ. Dynamics of nasopharyngeal colonization by potential respiratory pathogens. J Antimicrob Chemotherapy 2002;50:59–73.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Menon T, Shanmugasundaram S, Palani Kumar M, Girish Kumar CP. Group A streptococcal infections of the pharynx in a rural population in south India. Ind Med Res 2004;119:171–173.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Machiso P, Gironi S, Schito GC, Manneli S, Prinicipi N, Esposito S. Seasonal Variation in nasopharyngeal carriage of respiratory pathogens in healthy Italian children attending day care centers or school. JMed Microbiol 2001;50:1095–1099.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Murphy TF. Otitis Media, Bacterial Colonisation and the Smoking parent. Clin Inject Dis 2006;42:904–906.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Greenberg D, Givon-Lavi N, Broides A, Blancovich I, Peled N, Dagan R. The contribution of smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke to Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae carriage in children and their mothers. Clin Inject Dis 2006;42:897–903.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Mastro TD, Nomani NK, Ishaq Z et al. Use of nasopharyngeal isolates of S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae from children in Pakistan for surveillance for antimicrobial resistance. Pediatr Inject Dis J 1993;12:824–830.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Melo-Cristino J, Fernandes ML, Serrano N. Antimicrobial susceptibility of Streptococcus pyogenes, Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Moraxella catarrhalis from Community acquired respiratory infections in 2000. Acta Med Port 2001; 14: 459–168.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Blondeau JM, Tillotson GS. Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of respiratory pathogens — a global perspective. Seminars in Respiratory Infections 2000;15:195–207.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, JIPMER, Puducherry, India

    Rupak Dhakal, S. Sujatha & S. C. Parija

  2. Department of Pediatrics, JIPMER, Puducherry, India

    B. V. Bhat

  3. JIPMER, Osler House — 419, Puducherry, 605006, India

    Rupak Dhakal

Authors
  1. Rupak Dhakal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. S. Sujatha
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S. C. Parija
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. B. V. Bhat
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rupak Dhakal.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dhakal, R., Sujatha, S., Parija, S.C. et al. Asymptomatic colonization of upper respiratory tract by potential bacterial pathogens. Indian J Pediatr 77, 775–778 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-010-0118-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-010-0118-x

Key words

Search

Navigation