Incidences of nasopharyngeal colonization of respiratory bacterial pathogens in Japanese children attending day‐care centers

Abstract

We conclude that the rates of colonization by respiratory bacterial pathogens, especially by antibiotic-resistant strains, were high in children attending day-care centers in our district, suggesting their horizontal spread among children in day-care centers. Considering that the majority of children attending day- care centers carried one or more of the bacterial pathogens, the judicious use of antimicrobials will be required to prevent the increase of antibiotic-resistant rates among the colonizing pathogens.