Introduction

Streptococcus pneumonia is a pathogen for humans that requires a prior pharyngeal colonization to cause disease, whose mortality is accentuated in children 6 years and older than 65 years of age.

Objective

To assess the prevalence of pharyngeal carriage of S pneumonia in two population groups in Ciudad Bolívar, Bolívar State.

Methodology

. During the years 2009 and 2010, two groups were evaluated: one which included 66 senior individuals institutionalized in the asylum "San Vicente de Paúl" and the geriatric "Carlos Fragachan", with an average of 75 years ± 6 years age and another that it comprised preschool and school aged 2 to 12 hospitalized in Pediatrics and the area of the University Hospital emergency services "Ruiz and Páez". Each individual took a pharyngeal sample, which was processed according to the guidelines established by the American society for of microbiology. 80 exudates from pharyngeal origin were studied.

Results

Between elderly individuals 10 cases were identified (15.15%) of S. pneumonia pharyngeal carriers. 70% (n = 7) corresponded to the male gender. In all the ages were diagnosed cases, often observed in the group between 71 to 80 years of age (n = 4; 40%). 46.2% of pharyngeal carriers concerned smoking history. Were observed significant statistical differences between the pneumococcus`s state carrier and type II diabetes mellitus and vaccination´s state against the bacterium, In the group of preschool and school inpatients, 3 strains of S. pneumonia that accounted for 3.75% of the total were isolated. The highest percentage of positive specimens was obtained in the group of 2 to 4 years, with a predominance of the male gender (2.5%). Statistically significant differences were observed in the hospitalized children, between the carrier´s state and personal history as asthma, cold common, urinary tract infection and infection of skin and tissue soft. They were not vaccinated against the pneumococcus or met only a single dose. Both studies identified 13 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae, which showed a profile of resistance to penicillin, by method of disk Oxacillin, of 50%; While all of the isolates were with high resistance to macrolides and clindamycin, sulfonamides, and sensitive to Vancomycin.

Conclusion

We identified a low prevalence of individuals colonized by Streptococcus pneumoniae, however should be consider the research of colonization of the pharynx by Pneumococcus as a good method to be simple and easy to obtain bacterial samples and to reflect the progression of bacterial resistance in risk groups.

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