Epidemiological Study of Hospitalized Pediatric Pneumonia in China

Subjects meeting the eligibility criteria, including parental informed consent to collect clinical-epidemiological information, will have a deep respiratory aspirate specimen to determine the etiology of the lower respiratory tract infection. Clinicians may obtain other diagnostic specimens, such as pleural fluid, lung tap, cerebrospinal fluid, nasopharyngeal culture, or serum for serological assays, as indicated clinically. The chest radiograph will be taken and read locally according to predetermined criteria and by staff radiologists trained in radiographic criteria for pneumonia. Bacterial isolates other than Streptococcus pneumoniae will be identified according to standardized procedures. S. pneumoniae isolates will be transported to central laboratories for confirmation of identity, serotyping and antibiotic resistance testing, using standard techniques. Serotype will be determined using type-specific sera (Quellung reaction). Antibiotic susceptibility to penicillin, cefuroxime, ceftriaxone, erythromycin, Amoxycillin, Ofloxacin, Vancomycin, and imipenem be conducted using E-test according to standardized procedures at the central facilities.