Person-to-person transmission of Kingella kingae among day care center attendees

J Infect Dis. 1998 Dec;178(6):1843-6. doi: 10.1086/314488.

Abstract

Fifty Kingella kingae organisms, isolated from tonsillar cultures of day care center attendees during an 11-month period, and 60 isolates derived from epidemiologically unrelated individuals, including 19 isolates from respiratory carriers and 41 isolates from patients with invasive infections, were typed by immunoblotting, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and ribotyping. One strain, defined by unique immunoblotting, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and ribotyping patterns, represented 14 day care isolates (28%) and was frequently isolated during the first half of the follow-up period; a second strain represented 23 (46%) isolates and prevailed during the last 5 months. Children frequently carried the same strain continuously or intermittently for weeks or months, when it was replaced by a new strain. Epidemiologically unrelated organisms showed greater variability, and no strain represented >5% of isolates. The present results support person-to-person transmission of K. kingae among young children in the day care setting.

MeSH terms

  • Carrier State / microbiology
  • Carrier State / transmission
  • Child
  • Child Day Care Centers
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cluster Analysis
  • DNA, Ribosomal / genetics
  • Disease Transmission, Infectious*
  • Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Israel / epidemiology
  • Kingella kingae* / classification
  • Kingella kingae* / genetics
  • Kingella kingae* / isolation & purification
  • Neisseriaceae Infections / epidemiology
  • Neisseriaceae Infections / transmission*
  • Palatine Tonsil / microbiology*
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
  • Species Specificity
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • DNA, Ribosomal
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S