A pediatric case of acute meningitis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 33D

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of bacterial meningitis in children. It is also responsible for bacteremia, sepsis, pneumonia, sinusitis and acute otitis media in young children worldwide. The serotypes included in the 7-valent conjugated pneumococcal vaccine (PCV7)-1, 5, 6A, 6B, 14, 19F, 23F-are those most commonly responsible for invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) globally. Unvaccinated children are at greater risk for meningitis. The rate of non-vaccine serotypes as causes of invasive disease has increased. Although the incidence rate of IPD is highest in children aged <2 years, the rare, non-vaccine serotypes of S. pneumoniae may be responsible for acute meningitis in older, unvaccinated children. In this report, we present a pediatric case of meningitis due to S. pneumoniae serotype 33D, which has not been previously identified as a cause of IPD in those countries where PCV7 is routinely administered, including Turkey.