Brotons, PedroCisneros, MaríaPérez Argüello, AmareshHenares, DesireeLluansí, AleixFernández de Sevilla Estrach, MarionaCiruela, PilarBlanco Fuertes, MiguelLaunes Montaña, CristianJordán García, IolandaBassat Orellana, QuiqueGarcía García, Juan JoséMuñoz Almagro, Carmen2025-02-212025-02-212024-12-051932-6203https://hdl.handle.net/2445/219086Background: Despite growing evidence of reduced invasive and non-invasive pneumococcal disease attributed to public health measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, the effect of these measures on pneumococcal carriage remains unclear. This study aimed to assess pneumococcal nasopharyngeal carriage among children and adults self-confined at home during the COVID-19 national lockdown in Spain while identifying predictors of pneumococcal carriage in children. Methods: Household study conducted across the metropolitan area of Barcelona (Spain) between April-June 2020. Nasopharyngeal samples were collected from young children and adults for real-time PCR pneumococcal lytA and wgz gene detection, quantification, and serotyping, as well as for detection of respiratory viruses. Results: Among 332 children (median age: 3.1 years [IQR: 1.9-4.0 years]; 59% male) and 278 adults (median age: 38.9 years [IQR: 36.1-41.3 years]; 64% female), pneumococcal carriage rates were 28.3% and 2.5%, respectively. Highly invasive serotypes 3, 7F/7A, and 19A were detected in 14.0% of samples from children carriers. Pneumococcal co-infections with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus (hMPV), and influenza virus (IV) were not identified in children. Attendance to kindergarten before the lockdown (aOR: 2.65; IQR: 1.57-4.47; p<0.001) and household crowding (aOR: 1.85; IQR: 1.09-3.15; p = 0.02) were independent risk factors for children's pneumococcal carriage. Conclusions: Pneumococcal carriage rate among quarantined children during a full COVID-19 lockdown was moderate and correlated with limited presence of highly invasive serotypes and absence of pneumococcal co-infections with RSV, hMPV, and IV. Pre-lockdown daycare and household crowding predisposed children to carriage.13 p.application/pdfengcc-by (c) Brotons, P. et al., 2024http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/COVID-19Pandèmia de COVID-19, 2020-Salut públicaInfeccions per pneumococsCOVID-19COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-Public healthPneumococcal Infectionsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/article7563282025-02-21info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess39636920