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)