Streptococcus pneumoniae News and Research

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Streptococcus pneumoniae, or Pneumococcus, is a very common bacterial infection in both industrialized and developing countries. In particular, young children and the elderly represent high-risk populations of developing pneumococcal infections. According to the WHO, the bacterium kills up to one million children under the age of five years each year worldwide. It accounts for many Bacterial Meningitis cases in adults and it is the most common cause of Bacteraemia, Pneumonia, Meningitis and Otitis media in young children.

Antimicrobial therapy can prevent occurrence of pneumococcal septicemia

Antimicrobial therapy targeting specific cells in the immune system could prevent sepsis and life-threatening disease in people suffering from pneumonia, new research led by the University of Leicester has shown.

17 Apr 2018

Opioid users have increased risk of invasive pneumococcal diseases

Opioid users have a significantly increased risk of infections severe enough to require treatment at the hospital, such as pneumonia and meningitis, as compared to people who don't use opioids.

13 Feb 2018

WHO's new surveillance data reveals widespread occurrence of antibiotic resistance

WHO's first release of surveillance data on antibiotic resistance reveals high levels of resistance to a number of serious bacterial infections in both high- and low-income countries.

29 Jan 2018

Lactic acid bacteria can offer protection against subtypes of influenza A virus

Lactic acid bacteria, commonly used as probiotics to improve digestive health, can offer protection against different subtypes of influenza A virus, resulting in reduced weight loss after virus infection and lower amounts of virus replication in the lungs, according to a study led by Georgia State University.

13 Dec 2017

New model provides better understanding of epidemic spreading in realistic circumstances

New approaches are needed to control the spread of epidemic diseases, according to the developers of a new model of the way pathogens can 'cooperate'.

16 Nov 2017

Vaccines in the Aging Population

The World Health Organisation marked World Pneumonia Day on November 12th to promote interventions to protect against, prevent and treat pneumonia. The condition is a worldwide killer affecting people of all ages, however the ‘aging population’ is at an increased risk.

From Pfizer, Inc. 13 Nov 2017

New vaccine for pneumonia holds promise to save thousands of lives

In 2004, pneumonia killed more than 2 million children worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. By 2015, the number was less than 1 million.

20 Oct 2017

Vaccination efforts in poor countries prevent 20 million deaths, provide economic benefits

Vaccination efforts made in the world's poorest countries since 2001 will have prevented 20 million deaths and saved $350 billion in health-care costs by 2020, according to a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

1 Sep 2017

Study finds 22% antibiotic failure rate in pneumonia treatment

The new study presented at the 2017 American Thoracic Society International Conference has found that about 22.1%, approximately one in four adults, failed to respond to antibiotics for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) treatment.

23 May 2017

Case Western Reserve and Q2 Pharma partner to develop antivirulence agents that disarm superbugs

Case Western Reserve University and Q2 Pharma Ltd., an Israeli biopharmaceutical company, have signed a two-year option to license small molecule, antivirulence technology to potentially treat bacterial infections such as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the first known scientific effort of its kind.

31 Mar 2017

Study increases understanding of how air pollution affects human health

Researchers from the University of Leicester have for the first time discovered that bacteria that cause respiratory infections are directly affected by air pollution - increasing the potential for infection and changing the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment.

2 Mar 2017

UC San Diego engineers develop desktop diagnosis tool that detects harmful bacteria in few hours

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a desktop diagnosis tool that detects the presence of harmful bacteria in a blood sample in a matter of hours instead of days.

8 Feb 2017

S. pneumoniae uses hosts' immune defenses to spread infection, study reveals

The bacteria that cause most cases of pneumonia worldwide secrete a toxin that helps them jump from one body to the next - with help from the hosts' immune defenses. This is the finding of a study led by researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center and published online January 11 in Cell Host & Microbe.

12 Jan 2017

Research reveals how microbial context during infectious disease can compromise antibiotic therapy

Bacteria that are susceptible to antibiotics can survive when enough resistant cells around them are expressing an antibiotic-deactivating factor.

28 Dec 2016

Neonatal vaccination of mice with bacteria prevents cockroach-induced asthma as adults

The hygiene hypothesis proposes that a 20th century surge in allergies and asthma is because people are living in increasingly hygienic environments.

27 Oct 2016

MSU experts pioneer pathways to new treatment options for pneumonia

Streptococcus pneumoniae likely is not a term immediately recognizable by most individuals, even if they have had unpleasant run-ins with the common bacterium. However, experts at Mississippi State University are pioneering pathways to new treatment options.

21 Sep 2016

Caltech scientists uncover three-dimensional structure of disease-fighting protein

The polymeric immunoglobulin receptor, or pIgR, is a multitasking protein produced in the lining of mucosal surfaces, such as the intestines. It plays a pivotal role in the body's immune functions by sequestering bacteria and by assisting antibodies—large proteins that can identify and neutralize specific bacteria and viruses.

6 Sep 2016

School holidays may be linked to increased rates of adult pneumococcal CAP

A study presented today (6 September 2016) at this year's European Respiratory Society International Congress in London, UK shows that adults admitted to hospital during school holidays are 38% more likely to have pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) than those admitted during term time.

6 Sep 2016

Research provides insight into how harmless nasal bacteria help protect from diseases

Staphylococcus aureus is a common colonizer of the human body. Although, one quarter of the U.S. population live with the bacteria and never get sick, having S. aureus present in the nostrils is a risk for infections that range in severity from mild skin to life- threatening MRSA infections.

17 Aug 2016

Exposure to atmospheric dust, high temperatures can increase risk of bacterial meningitis

Exposure to airborne dust and high temperatures are significant risk factors for bacterial meningitis, a new study by the University of Liverpool's Institute of Infection and Global Health has found.

25 Jul 2016