Distribution of types of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated in Sydney in 1973--1974 and in 1979.

At The Prince of Wales Hospital, 357 pneumococci isolated in the laboratory from September, 1973, to May, 1974, and 268 pneumococci isolated from June to November, 1979, were serotyped. The pneumococci were isolated from patients and carriers in the hospital and in general practice. The type distribution resembled that described by Hansman regarding 1247 pneumococci isolated from 1965 to 1969. In each of the periods, the same seven predominant types--19, 23, 6, 3, 9, 11 and 15--were isolated in almost exactly the same order of frequency. Of the "epidemic" types--1, 2, 4, 5, 7 and 12--only type 12 was not isolated in the present study. This information may be of value in the choice of components for an appropriate polyvalent pneumococcal vaccine for susceptible children and adults in Australia.