Nasopharyngeal Pneumococcal Serotypes Before and After Mass Azithromycin Distributions for Trachoma.

Twenty-four Ethiopian communities were randomized to receive either (1) quarterly mass azithromycin distributions for trachoma for 1 year or (2) delayed treatment. Nasopharyngeal swabs collected from separate cross-sectional population-based samples of children were processed for Streptococcus pneumoniae Mass azithromycin did not significantly alter the pneumococcal serotype distribution, and hence it would not be expected to alter vaccine coverage.