Pneumococcal Infections in High-Risk and
Immunocompromised Hosts
Olarn Prommalikit MD*,
Krisana Pengsaa MD**, Usa Thisyakorn MD***
Affiliation :
* Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, Thailand
** Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
*** Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, it is responsible for
invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) (e.g. meningitis, bacteremic pneumonia and bacteremia) and non-IPD (e.g. pneumonia,
acute otitis media, and sinusitis). IPD is preceded by nasopharyngeal colonization with high incidence of disease among
young children, the elderly, persons with underlying medical conditions and immunocompromised hosts.
The term “immunocompromised host” is generally applied to a variety of patients with various immune defects.
The factors that contribute to the development of IPD include host immunity (specific and innate), genetic and environment.
Specific defects in host responses to pneumococcal infections may due to very young age, deficiencies in levels of antibodies
and complement factors, and splenic dysfunction. The combinations of these defects contribute to the increased rates of IPD.
The immunocompromising and other conditions that predispose to pneumococcal disease were described.
Keywords : Invasive pneumococcal disease, S.pneumoniae, Immunocompromised hosts
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