Type 8 pneumococcal pneumonia: an outbreak on an oncology ward.

An outbreak of four cases of type 8 Streptococcus pneumoniae pneumonia occurred on an Oncology Ward during a five-day period. All four patients had underlying malignancy and were in close proximity to each other on an open ward. No other patients or hospital personnel had type 8 S pneumoniae on throat or nasopharyngeal cultures. The implications of the outbreak with respect to transmission of this disease and role of pneumococcal vaccination are discussed.