Pneumococcal Infections

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

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See, Play and Learn

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Pneumococci are a type of streptococcus bacteria. The bacteria spread through contact with people who are ill or by healthy people who carry the bacteria in the back of their nose. Pneumococcal infections can be mild or severe. The most common types of infections are:

• Ear infections
• Sinus infections
• Pneumonia
• Sepsis
• Meningitis

How the diagnosis is made depends upon where the infection is. Your doctor will do a physical exam and ask about your medical history. Possible tests may include blood, imaging, or lab tests. Treatment is with antibiotics. Vaccines can prevent pneumococcal infections. There are two vaccines. One is for infants and young children. The other is for people at high risk, including those who are over 65 years old, have chronic illnesses or weak immune systems, smoke, have asthma, or live in long-term care facilities.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Start Here

• About Pneumococcal Disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Symptoms

• Pneumococcal Disease Symptoms and Complications (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Bacteria Culture Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Pneumococcal Disease Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Tests for Lung Disease (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Ask the Experts: Pneumococcal (Immunization Action Coalition)
• Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV): What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Pneumococcal Disease Causes and How It Spreads (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPSV23): What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Pneumococcal Vaccination (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Pneumococcus: Questions and Answers (Immunization Action Coalition) - PDF

Treatments and Therapies

• Antibiotics: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

• Pneumococcal Disease Surveillance and Trends (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Pneumococcal Infections (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Invasive pneumococcal disease in adults after the introduction of pneumococcal vaccination:...
• Article: Burden of invasive pneumococcal disease, non-invasive all-cause pneumonia, and acute otitis...
• Article: Lack of an association between spleen volume and risk of pneumococcal...
• Pneumococcal Infections -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish
• National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Children

• Pneumococcal Infections (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Pneumococcal Vaccines (PCV, PPSV) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV): What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Pneumococcal meningitis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPSV23): What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish