Division of Epidemiology
275 East Main Street
Frankfort, KY 40621
502-564-3418
What is Pneumococcal Disease?
Streptococcus pneumoniae causes a bacterial infection called pneumococcal
disease. This organism may cause meningitis, pneumonia, middle ear infections
or infection in the blood stream. (See Meningitis.)
How is Pneumococcal Disease Spread?
Pneumococcus bacteria are spread from an infected person when he or she
sneezes or coughs secretions from the nose and throat into the air and a
susceptible person is exposed to the secretions. The bacteria may also be
spread to another person who, after having direct contact with an infected
person’s secretions, rubs his eyes or in other ways transfers the bacteria to
himself through touch.
Who is at risk for Pneumococcal Disease?
Anyone can get pneumococcal disease. However, infection most often occurs in
the elderly, people with serious chronic heart, lung or kidney diseases, and those
with weakened immune systems, or those without spleens.
What are the Symptoms of Pneumococcal Disease?
Symptoms will vary depending upon the location of the infection. Generally,
symptoms include fever and may include headache, disorientation and stiff neck,
or cough, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
How is Pneumococcal Disease Diagnosed and Treated?
Pneumococcal Disease is diagnosed by laboratory culture growth of the bacteria
from a specimen collected from a normally sterile site (blood, spinal fluid) of an
infected person.
Some strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae have become resistant to certain
antibiotics, primarily penicillin, and some have become multidrug-resistant.
Antibiotic resistance means that the antibiotics usually used to treat an infection
will not be effective in destroying a resistant strain. Prompt treatment with
different antibiotics to which the strain is susceptible is usually effective in curing
the infection.
How is Pneumococcal Disease Prevented?
Avoid contact with secretions from the mouth and nose, by covering sneezes and
coughs, washing hands, and disposing tissues. Most infections occur during the
winter and early spring, less frequently during the summer.
Infections might be prevented through the use of vaccine. There is a 23–valent
polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine for adults, and a different pneumococcal
conjugate vaccine for infants and children.