Persistence of Pneumococcal Carriage among Older Adults in the Community despite COVID-19 Mitigation Measures.

ABSTRACT: Reported rates of invasive pneumococcal disease were markedly lower than normal during the 2020/2021 winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the first year after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about rates of carriage of pneumococcus among adults during this period. Between October 2020-August 2021, couples in the Greater New Haven Area, USA, were enrolled if both individuals were aged 60 years and above and did not have any individuals under the age of 60 years living in the household. Saliva samples and questionnaires regarding social activities and contacts and medical history were obtained every 2 weeks for a period of 10 weeks. Following culture-enrichment, extracted DNA was tested using qPCR for pneumococcus-specific sequences piaB and lytA. Indi

SUBMITTER: Wyllie AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10269788 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature