Pneumococcal Infection and Pneumococcal Vaccine

The pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae) is a major cause of pneumonia, otitis media and meningitis throughout the world. Although the mortality resulting from pneumococcal infection has declined strikingly since the introduction of the sulfonamides, penicillin and other antibiotics, what limited epidemiologic evidence is available suggests that the attack rates of pneumococcal infections have diminished little, if at all. The pneumococcus is still the major cause of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia, and it is estimated that there are now approximately a half million pneumococcal pneumonias annually in the United States. Pneumococcal otitis media is one of the commonest bacterial infections of infancy and . . .