It’s common for people over 60 to have pneumonia-causing bacteria, and contact with preschool and young children seems to be an important factor linked to the transmission of Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), according to research being presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.
Pneumococcus is involved in ear and sinus infections, but it can also cause pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis.
Pneumococcal vaccines were incorporated into the children’s vaccine program in the United States, and strains in kids have gone down about 90% since 2000 when the program started. But that effect hasn’t been the same in older adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2021 that anywhere from 20% to 60% of school-age children may be colonized with the bacteria (but not have symptoms), but only 5% to 10% of adults without children have it.
A team examined data from 183 adults with an average age of 50 in Connecticut. The team looked at married couples without younger children living in their homes. A total of 93 households were part of the study. Data was collected from autumn/winter of 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. The team collected saliva samples and had participants take questionnaires every two weeks for a total of 10 weeks.
Of all the samples, 4.8% were positive for pneumococcus, and 15% of people were colonized (had the penumococcus but didn’t have symptoms) on at least one visit. Several people were positive for pneumococcus at multiple timepoints including two participants who were colonized throughout the 10-week sampling period. Two other adults tested positive at five of the six times they were tested; one had daily contact with children aged 2-59 months and 5-9 years.
Of the households, 5.4% of the people had both members who were carriers but not always at the same time point.
Carrying pneumococcal bacteria was six times higher in older adults who had contact with children daily or every few days compared to those who didn’t have contact with kids. Among those who had recent contact within two weeks, it was highest in those in contact with younger children. People who had close contact with children under 5 and with 5 to 9 year olds had prevalence rates of 14.8% and 14.1%, respectively. People who had close contact with children over 10 had a point prevalence of 8.3%.
The research has not yet been published, but a report is online.“Our study found no clear evidence of adult-to-adult transmission even though there were households in which an individual was positive for pneumococcus across numerous sampling moments, and instances where both adults in the household carried pneumococcus around the same time,” Anne Wyllie, PhD, a researcher from the Yale School of Public Health said in a statement.
