%0 Generic %A Lozada J %A Gómez J.O %A Serrano-Mayorga C.C %A Viñán Garcés A.E %A Enciso V %A Mendez-Castillo L %A Acosta-González A %A Bustos I.G %A Fuentes Y.V %A Ibáñez-Prada E.D %8 2024 %@ 0264410X %U http://hdl.handle.net/10818/62193 %X Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) is a commensal pathogen that usually colonizes the upper respiratory tract of children. Likewise, Spn colonization has been considered a critical factor in the development of pneumococcal invasive disease. However, Spn prevalence in adults remains unclear. This study performs a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the prevalence of Spn Nasopharynx - Oropharynx Colonization (NOC) in adults. Methods: A Systematic review of scientific databases was utilized to identify eligible studies that follow strict selection criteria. Subsequently, a meta-analysis was conducted to establish NOC prevalence in adults (≥18 years old). The heterogeneity and sensitivity analyses were assessed using the microorganism identification technique, sample type, and age subgroups. Results: Initial selection includes 69 studies, with 37 selected for the meta-analysis, involving 23,724 individuals. The overall prevalence (95 % CI) of Spn NOC among adults was 6 % (5–9). The subgroup analysis revealed that young adults (YA), 18–64 years old, had a prevalence of 10 %, whereas older adults (OA), ≥65 years old, had a prevalence of 2 %. The identification of Spn NOC may vary depending on the method of diagnosis used. High heterogeneity (I2 > 90 %) was observed but diminished to 70 % when the analysis was restricted to oropharyngeal swabs as an identification method. Furthermore, heterogeneity decreased to 58 % when exclusively employing traditional culture as the identification method. Conclusions: This study found a low prevalence of Spn NOC in adults. Notably, the prevalence of Spn NOC was higher in younger adults than in older adults. It is essential to highlight a significant heterogeneity among studies, which indicates there is no standardized method of Spn NOC identification. © 2024 The Author(s) %I Vaccine %T Streptococcus pneumoniae as a colonizing agent of the nasopharynx - oropharynx in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis %R 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.03.041 %~ Intellectum