Recurrent invasive pneumococcal disease: a population-based assessment.

We sought to define the risk of recurrence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and to define the characteristics of persons experiencing recurrent IPD through population-based surveillance. Cases of IPD were identified through the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Active Bacterial Core Surveillance. Recurrent episodes were defined as isolation of Streptococcus pneumoniae from any normally sterile site > or =30 days after initial positive culture. Among 13,924 persons who survived their initial episode of IPD, 318 (2.3%) experienced > or =1 subsequent episode, for 376 total recurrences. The recurrence rate was 1294 episodes per 100,000 person-years, or 50 times the annual incidence of IPD. In multivariable analysis, a higher risk of recurrence was seen in persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus and in children <5 years old with chronic illness. Most (92%) persons with recurrence had a vaccine indication. The risk of recurrence among certain persons with IPD is extremely high.