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This study aims to define S. pneumoniae serotypes in children hospitalized with an invasive pneumococcal disease from March 20, 2012 to March 10, 2013 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.

Specimens from cerebrospinal fluid and blood were collected from children aged one month-18 years with suspected invasive pneumococcal infection admitted to Mofid Children’s Hospital and other regional hospitals. Multiplex PCR with 13 groups of primers were used to detect 33 serotypes of S. pneumoniae in positive blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures. Out of 563 samples, 83 S. pneumoniae isolates were identified. Sixty-seven samples were typeable.

The results showed that serotypes 3 (21.7%), 23F (13.2%), and 19F (10.8%) were the most prevalent serotypes. Sixteen samples (19.3%) were non-typeable by Multiplex PCR method. The 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine provides the highest coverage (66.23%), followed by the 10-valent vaccine (34.9%) and, lastly, the 7-valent vaccine (33.71%).

We found that serotypes 3, 23F, and 19F accounted for almost 46% of invasive pneumococcal isolates. As per relatively high coverage of prevalent serotypes, PCV13 should be considered for routine childhood vaccination programs.

The causal role of Parvovirus B19 (B19V) in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is still a matter of debate. In this study, an attempt was made to investigate the frequency of B19V infection and the association between patients’ characteristics and B19V infection in children with JIA.

Synovial fluid samples were obtained from 27 children (13 boys, 14 girls, aged 3-16 years) with JIA and were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction to detect B19V DNA. Age, sex, number of involved joints, time elapsed between beginning of symptoms and arthrocentesis, serum Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) and C-Reactive Protein (CRP) were compared between JIA patients with and without B19V.

Six patients (22.2%) were B19V+. There was no significant association between presence of B19V DNA in synovial fluid and number of joints involved, duration of disease, treatment with Disease-Modifying Anti rheumatic Drugs (DMARD) or glucocorticoid therapy and mean ESR and CRP levels. However, there was a slightly significant relationship between sex and age and detection of B19V DNA in the synovial fluid of JIA patients.

Our study demonstrated a 22% prevalence of B19V infection in JIA patients, and also that there was a significant relationship between sex and age and detection of B19V DNA in the synovial fluid of JIA patients.