Abstract
Background: Pneumonia poses a significant threat to the lives of children below five years old worldwide, contributing to a high number of hospitalizations and death. Morbidity and morbidity are especially common in children under five and the elderly, although any age group can be affected. This study aimed to estimate pneumococcal carriage and determine antibiotic susceptibility patterns of the pneumococci isolated from mother-baby pairs in Ngora district after the rollout of the pneumococcal vaccine. We hypothesized that high carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae in mothers leads to carriage in their babies and hence a greater chance of contracting pneumonia. Methods: Consecutive sampling was used to select 152 mother-baby pairs from community visits and those seeking care at the health facility. We collected nasal swabs from both baby and mother for culture and sensitivity testing using the Kirby-Bauer’s agar disc diffusion method. Results: This study found that there was a low prevalence of pneumococcal carriage in the mother-baby pair in Ngora district. We also observed high rates of microbial resistance to penicillin, which is the first-line drug for the management of pneumonia in Uganda. Conclusions: The relationship between pneumococcal carriage and immunization status suggests that the pneumococcal vaccine is protective against pneumococcal carriage. Resistance of S. pneumoniae to commonly used antibiotics was high.
Highlights
Pneumonia poses a significant threat to the lives of children below five years worldwide, contributing to a high number of hospitalizations and death[1,2,3]
This study aimed to estimate pneumococcal carriage and determine antibiotic susceptibility patterns of the pneumococci isolated from mother-baby pairs in Ngora district, Eastern Uganda
Demographic characteristics of the study participants At the young child clinic, a total of ninety-three pairs were sampled, two of whom were excluded because the babies were presented by male care takers, and one mother opted out due to fear of discomfort associated with the procedure for sample collection
Summary
Pneumonia poses a significant threat to the lives of children below five years worldwide, contributing to a high number of hospitalizations and death[1,2,3]. A high proportion of mortality due to community-acquired pneumonia has been documented, with up to 81% of these deaths occurring outside of hospital due to challenges related to access to health care in low- and middle-income countries[7]. Pneumonia poses a significant threat to the lives of children below five years old worldwide, contributing to a high number of hospitalizations and death. This study aimed to estimate pneumococcal carriage and determine antibiotic susceptibility patterns of the pneumococci isolated from mother-baby pairs in Ngora district after the rollout of the pneumococcal vaccine. Conclusions: The relationship between pneumococcal carriage and immunization status suggests that the pneumococcal vaccine is
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