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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Clinical Infectious Diseases
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1467320

Pneumococcal carriage in a large Sicilian sample population: impact on the current epidemiological scenario and implications for future vaccination strategies

Provisionally accepted
Emanuele Amodio Emanuele Amodio 1Fabio Tramuto Fabio Tramuto 1,2Valerio De Francisci Valerio De Francisci 1Dario Genovese Dario Genovese 1*Valeria Guzzetta Valeria Guzzetta 2Vincenzo Pisciotta Vincenzo Pisciotta 1Arianna Santino Arianna Santino 2Giulia Randazzo Giulia Randazzo 2Giulio Trapani Giulio Trapani 1Giuseppe Vella Giuseppe Vella 1Francesco Vitale Francesco Vitale 1,2
  • 1 University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
  • 2 Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Policlinico Paolo Giaccone, Palermo, Sicily, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Streptococcus pneumoniae is a prevalent and virulent global pathogen, with colonization being considered a precondition for pneumococcal disease. Understanding colonization is critical for gaining insights into transmission dynamics and developing effective interventions. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of nasopharyngeal colonization and serotype distribution in the Sicilian population. Methods: Observational study randomly selecting samples belonging to Sicilian individuals whose nasopharyngeal swabs were collected between February 1, 2020, and December 31, 2022. Pneumococcal colonization was determined using PCR for the pneumococcal autolysin (LytA) gene, and positive samples were serotyped. Results: The study sample consisted of 1,196 individuals, with 17.4% testing positive for the LytA gene. Pneumococcal colonization rates fell from birth to 24 years, with a peak in 0-4-year-olds (aOR=6.9; p<0.001). Colonization was higher in colder months, particularly in December (aOR=2.9, p<0.05) and February (aOR=4, p<0.05). Serotypes 22F and 24ABF exhibited strong colonization and an invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) risk, whereas serotypes 4, 6AB, 9VA, and 13 had high colonization but a low IPD risk. Serotypes 3 and 8 exhibited considerable IPD risk but low colonization. Conclusion: Our findings provide insights into pneumococcal colonization mechanisms, influencing serotype prevalence, colonization risk variables, and serotype comparisons for colonization and pathogenicity propensity.

    Keywords: Streptococcus pneumoniae, carriage, colonization, Serotypes, Epidemiology

    Received: 19 Jul 2024; Accepted: 08 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Amodio, Tramuto, De Francisci, Genovese, Guzzetta, Pisciotta, Santino, Randazzo, Trapani, Vella and Vitale. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Dario Genovese, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.