Evaluación retrospectiva de la vigilancia de Streptococcus pneumoniae causante de enfermedades invasoras en adultos de la Región Metropolitana-Chile: 2000-2006

Abstract

This study assessed the performance of the national norm for laboratory surveillance of invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae in adults of the Metropolitan Region (Chile). Material and Methods. We reviewed all notifications of isolates from patients > 15 years of age received by the Institute of Public Health of Chile during the period 2000-2006, submitted by health care facilities of the study region. We also reviewed the original records of sterile fluid cultures, in 14 public adult hospitals. Results. We found documentation of 1429 invasive S. pneumoniae isolates recovered from adult patients, including 1095 reported and 334 not-reported isolates. A 33% under-reporting rate was estimated for the 14 hospitals where local laboratory records were inspected. Age and clinical diagnosis were omitted in 23% and 78% of the notifications, respectively. Among 303 isolates from patients > 65 years of age that were investigated with Quellung reaction, 235 (78%) had capsular serotypes represented in the 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine. Conclusions. The Ministry of Health of Chile announced implementation of 23-valent vaccine immunization program for the elderly. In the perspective of future evaluations of the impact of this intervention, the results of this study indicate the need of reinforcing adherence and improving the quality of notifications of invasive S. pneumoniae.