Pneumococcal diseases.

The pneumococcus is now the most important bacterial pathogen causing pneumonia, meningitis, and otitis media. Traditional approaches to the diagnosis of Streptococcus pneumoniae as the etrologic agent causing these diseases include colony morphology, microscopy, optochin sensitivity, bile solubility, and inmunologic reaction with type-specific antisera(1) The rationale for developing a molecular approach to diagnosis mcludes the very low yield of pneumococci isolated from blood culture in presumed pneumococcal pneumonia, and the need for a rapid diagnostic test that defines susceptibility to antbiotrcs, partxularly in the setting of meningitis.