Abstract
This study was designed to determine the prevalence of healthy Haemophilus influenzae carriers in a random sample of the preschool population in Catalonia. Oropharyngeal swabs were collected and cultured on chocolate agar supplemented with 260 μg/ml of bacitracin. Four hundred two of the 734 (54.8%) children studied were detected as Haemophilus influenzae carriers: 7 (0.9%) carried serotype b, 14 (1.9%) serotype e, 6 (0.8%) serotype f, and 375 (51%) carried nontypable strains. The results show that, although the prevalence of Haemophilus influenzae carriers is similar to figures reported from other countries, the prevalence of Haemophilus influenzae serotype b carriers is lower and corresponds with the low incidence of invasive disease observed in the Catalan community.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Consortia
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fontanals, D., Bou, R., Pons, I. et al. Prevalence of Haemophilus influenzae Carriers in the Catalan Preschool Population. EJCMID 19, 301–304 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s100960050480
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s100960050480