{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:45:55Z","timestamp":1760060755299,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":18,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,15]],"date-time":"2025-09-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1757894400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["TropicalMed"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Healthcare professionals (HCPs) working in paediatric settings are routinely exposed to respiratory pathogens, increasing their risk of asymptomatic colonisation by meningitis-associated bacteria. This study is the first to assess oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal carriage of major bacterial meningitis pathogens among paediatric HCPs in Benin, and to identify associated risk factors. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in nine hospitals between 1 September 2023 and 30 September 2024. Data collection involved a structured questionnaire and paired oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal swabs. Culture-based identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were performed according to CA-SFM guidelines. By culture method, Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most frequently isolated pathogen, mainly from oropharyngeal samples (47.5%). Most of these strains exhibited multidrug resistance. In nasopharyngeal samples analysed by real-time PCR, detection rates for S. pneumoniae were markedly higher (24.4%) compared to culture (5.0%), highlighting the limited sensitivity of conventional methods in detecting asymptomatic carriage. Pneumococcal colonisation was significantly associated with recent respiratory tract infections, and residence in high-risk areas (p &lt; 0.05). These findings underscore the need for enhanced molecular surveillance, along with strengthened infection control measures and targeted vaccination strategies, to mitigate the risk of horizontal transmission in paediatric wards.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/tropicalmed10090263","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,15]],"date-time":"2025-09-15T16:27:33Z","timestamp":1757953653000},"page":"263","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Asymptomatic Pneumococcal Carriage, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Associated Risk Factors Among Paediatric Healthcare Workers in Benin"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9417-2820","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chakir Ishola","family":"Bello","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Biology and Molecular Typing in Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, University of Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou P.O. Box 1604, Benin"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6037-0287","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cyriaque Comlan","family":"Degbey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Environmental Health, Regional Institute of Public Health, University of Abomey-Calavi, Ouidah P.O. Box 384, Benin"},{"name":"University Hospital Hygiene Clinic, Hubert Koutoukou Maga National Teaching Hospital (CNHU-HKM), Cotonou P.O. Box 386, Benin"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yves Eric","family":"Denon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Diagnostic and Exploratory Department, Ministry of Health of Benin, Cotonou P.O. Box 882, Benin"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Adolphe","family":"Adjanonhoun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Agricultural Research of Benin (INRAB), Cotonou P.O. Box 884, Benin"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8160-5954","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lamine","family":"Baba-Moussa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Biology and Molecular Typing in Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, University of Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou P.O. Box 1604, Benin"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e14","DOI":"10.1017\/S0950268818002625","article-title":"Compartmental Models for Seasonal Hyperendemic Bacterial Meningitis in the African Meningitis Belt","volume":"147","author":"Koutangni","year":"2019","journal-title":"Epidemiol. Infect."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Barichello, T., Catal\u00e3o, C.H.R., Rohlwink, U.K., van der Kuip, M., Zaharie, D., Solomons, R.S., van Toorn, R., van Furth, M.T., Hasbun, R., and Iovino, F. (2023). Bacterial Meningitis in Africa. Front. Neurol., 14.","DOI":"10.3389\/fneur.2023.822575"},{"key":"ref_3","unstructured":"GBD 2016 Causes of Death Collaborators (2017). Global, Regional, and National Age\u2013Sex Specific Mortality for 264 Causes of Death, 1980\u20132016: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet, 390, 1151\u20131210."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"339","DOI":"10.1016\/S1473-3099(15)00430-2","article-title":"Community-Acquired Bacterial Meningitis in Adults in the Netherlands, 2006\u20132014: A Prospective Cohort Study","volume":"16","author":"Cabellos","year":"2016","journal-title":"Lancet Infect. 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Precautions, Bloodborne, Contact, and Droplet, Available online: https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK551555\/."}],"container-title":["Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2414-6366\/10\/9\/263\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,9]],"date-time":"2025-10-09T18:45:51Z","timestamp":1760035551000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2414-6366\/10\/9\/263"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,15]]},"references-count":18,"journal-issue":{"issue":"9","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9]]}},"alternative-id":["tropicalmed10090263"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/tropicalmed10090263","relation":{},"ISSN":["2414-6366"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"2414-6366"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,15]]}}}