Prevalence of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 6C among invasive and carriage isolates in metropolitan Salvador, Brazil, from 1996 to 2007

The newly described Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 6C accounted for 2.3% (16/709) of meningitis cases and 3.2% (3/95) of nasopharyngeal isolates from healthy individuals in Brazil. The strains were multidrug resistant (18.8%) and genetically diverse. Despite low serotype 6C prevalence, continuous surveillance is necessary to guide vaccine strategies.