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Streptococcus pneumoniae
S. pneumoniae
is a
leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the U.S., resulting each year in
an estimated 3,000 cases of meningitis, 50,000 cases of bacteremia, 500,000
cases of pneumonia, and 7,000,000 cases of otitis media. As with most
respiratory pathogens, rapid, sensitive, and specific diagnostic tests are
not available, thus early in the course of illness, diagnosis of S.
pneumoniae is usually presumptive and the choice of antimicrobial
therapy is nearly always empiric. The choice of antimicrobial agents for
empiric therapy should be guided by the regional patterns of resistance.
For this reason, invasive cases of S. pneumoniae infections along
with antibiograms are reportable in Florida by both providers and
laboratories.
Links:
o
Questions and Answers about Invasive S. pneumoniae Surveillance and
Reporting
o
S. pneumoniae data for Florida
(2008)
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