Streptococcal pneumonia - symptoms and how to test
The inhalation of respiratory droplets transmits a carrier's infection with Streptococcus pneumonia (e.g., coughing, sneezing). Pneumococcal illness can strike anybody at any age. However, it is most common in newborns, young children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems due to disorders like chronic lung, heart, or kidney disease. Other people at risk include alcoholics, diabetics, people with weakened immune systems and those without a spleen. Pneumococcal soluble antigen testing is an immunochromatographic membrane method used to identify the bacteria in human urine and CSF.