Epidemiological characteristics of Streptococcus pneumoniae and its correlation with air pollutants in children with respiratory tract infection in Suzhou area

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of Streptococcus pneumonia (SP) in children with respiratory tract infection in Suzhou area, and the correlation between the air pollutants and the epidemiological characteristics of SP. Methods The real-time air quality test data of Suzhou in Jiangsu province was recorded from January 2012 to December 2014, and sputum specimens of 6 653 cases of hospitalized children with respiratory tract diseases in the same period were collected.The SP detection content and the correlation between SP and the concentration level of PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen dioxide(NO2), sulfur dioxide(SO2), carbon monoxide(CO), ozone(O3) in Suzhou were analyzed. Results The SP detection rate was 9.94% in 6 653 children.The SP detection rates were respectively 7.69% (183/2 381 cases), 10.87% (235/2 161 cases), 11.51% (243/2 111 cases) between 2012 and 2014.The SP detection rates of children at the age of ≤1 year old, >1-3 years old, >3- 1-3 years old and >3- 0.05). Conclusions SP is one of the important pathogens of respiratory tract infection in children in Suzhou area, and the detection rate in infants and preschoolers is higher but the detection rate in summer is lower.The SP detection rate is closely correlated with the concentration of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2. Key words: Streptococcus pneumoniae; Air pollutants; PM2.5; Respiratory tract infection; Child