Microbiology of acute otitis media with perforation (AOMwiP) in Aboriginal children living in remote communities—monitoring the impact of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (7vPCV)

In young Aboriginal children with new episodes of AOMwiP, Haemophilus influenzae (57%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (34%) and Streptococcus pyogenes (6%) are the major pathogens recovered from ear discharge. In children immunised with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, there were fewer vaccine type pneumococci and more vaccine-related type pneumococci than unimmunized children. Replacement of vaccine types by non-pneumococcal pathogens was not detected.