Infection with pneumococci is not difficult. Bacteria are transmitted by airborne droplets. It is enough for an infected person to cough in our presence and pneumococci get into our respiratory tract.
Where can you get infected with pneumococci? Pneumococcal infections occur in all regions of the world. In Poland, the number of pneumococcal infections is not exactly known. It is known, according to the data from the National Institute of Public He alth - National Institute of Hygiene (NIPH-PZH), that before 2022 (i.e. before the introduction of reimbursed vaccinations), the number of the heaviest so-called invasive pneumococcal infections exceeded 950 cases per year.
Contents:
- Where do you get infected with pneumococci - transmission of bacteria
- Where do you get infected with pneumococci - carriage
- Where do you get infected with pneumococci - risk groups
Pneumococcal infections occur most frequently in children in the first years of life and in the elderly over 65 years of age. However, it should be remembered that pneumococcal infections affect people of all ages and everyone is at risk of them.
Where do you get infected with pneumococci - transmission of bacteria
Pneumococci are transmitted by airborne droplets. This means that an infected person can infect others when they laugh, cough or sneeze. Saliva and mucus droplets are microscopic, but contain oral microbes, including pneumococci. Microorganisms settle on the surrounding surface within a radius of 1 meter. They can also get into the respiratory tract of people standing near the patient.
From surfaces where they can get deposited on hands, and from them to mouth. The way of infection is therefore simple and it is impossible to avoid it. The greatest number of pneumococcal infections are among children, especially in nursery and preschool age.
Where do you get infected with pneumococci - carriage
The fact that pneumococci will settle in our airways, including the back wall of the throat, does not mean that we will get sick. It may turn out that pneumococcal infection will be asymptomatic - the human body and bacteria exist on the principle of commensalism. Often, the infected do not even know that they are a threat to the environment. However, beware - there are a lot of bacteria strains, the fact that we are resistant to one of themdoes not mean that others will not infect us.
Carriage of pneumococci is the starting point for the development of other forms of pneumococcal infection. Bacteria can spread beyond the throat, causing infections: e.g. conjunctivitis, acute otitis media, and paranasal sinusitis. They can also lead to acute pneumonia.
When pneumococcal bacteria get into the blood, they can lead to so-called invasive pneumococcal infection, i.e. bloodstream infections, sepsis, and even meningitis or pericarditis and myocarditis, peritonitis or osteoarthritis.
Where do you get infected with pneumococci - risk groups
One of the main factors contributing to the occurrence of pneumococcal infections is age. Children up to 4 years of age are most at risk of contracting pneumococcal disease, with the highest incidence rate of invasive pneumococcal disease in children from birth to 2 years of age.
According to the Pediatric Team of Experts on the Immunization Program in children up to 5 years of age, the following are the high-risk factors for the development of invasive pneumococcal disease:
1. Immunological and hematological diseases:
- primary immune disorders,
- idiopathic thrombocytopenia,
- condition after bone marrow transplantation,
- condition after vascularized organs transplantation,
- acute leukemias,
- lymphomas,
- congenital spherocytosis,
- congenital lack of spleen,
- acquired spleen dysfunction,
- genetic nephrotic syndrome,
- HIV positive and AIDS sufferers,
2. Preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia,
3. Children after injuries and with defects of the central nervous system, with leakage of the cerebrospinal fluid,
4. Factors regardless of age:
- infants born prematurely with bronchopulmonary dysplasia,
- children with injuries and with defects of the central nervous system, with leakage of the cerebrospinal fluid,
- chronic steroid therapy or immunosuppressive treatment,
- chronic kidney disease and nephrotic syndrome,
- chronic heart disease,
- chronic lung diseases,
- chronic liver diseases, including cirrhosis, portal hypertension, chronic active hepatitis, alcoholism,
- chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, Whipple's disease, intestinal lymphangioma,
- metabolic diseases, including diabetes,
- autoimmune diseases: visceral lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren's disease, Graves' disease, mixed connective tissue disease,
- condition after cochlear implantation.