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Glossary

Anaemia: A condition characterised by inadequate red blood cells and/or haemoglobin in the blood.
Bacterium (pl: bacteria): A single celled micro-organism which is able to multiply by itself, rather than by using the cellular machinery of its host (see virus). Bacteria are normally found all over a healthy body (e.g. skin, mouth, gut) but can cause disease by invading previously sterile sites (e.g. blood or spinal fluid) or by invading locally into the tissues where they enter the body (e.g. nose, throat). Bacteria are classified according to their shape and structure.
Bacteraemia: The condition in which bacteria are present in the bloodstream, a usually sterile site.
Carriage: A state in which the bacteria are living in the back of the nose and throat but not causing disease.
Cochlear implant: A device that helps improve the hearing abilities of many profoundly or totally deaf people by electrically stimulating the nerve which takes hearing messages from the ear to the brain, hence by-passing the damaged parts of the ear.
Conjugate Vaccine: A type of vaccine made from the polysaccharide (sugar) of a bacterium joined to a protein carrier. This type of vaccine gives a better immune response in infants and young children than the alternative pneumococcal polysacharride vaccine.
Fungus (pl: fungi or funguses): A type of micro-organism which causes infection. It proliferates by feeding on dead matter or by invading healthy cells. Fungi include yeasts, mildews, rusts, mushrooms and moulds.
Glue ear: The commonest inflammatory condition of the middle ear in children and one of the commonest causes of 'conduction' deafness. A persisting sticky secretion prevents sound vibrations moving through the ear thereby impairing hearing.
Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD): Serious disease caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae invading a usually sterile site, such as the blood (to cause bacteraemia), the membranes of the brain (to cause cerebral meningitis), and/or the spinal cord (spinal meningitis) and the lungs to cause invasive disease.
Meningitis: Inflammation affecting the membranes of the brain (cerebral meningitis) or spinal cord (spinal meningitis) or both. It can be the result of a trauma but is more likely to be a caused by an infective agent. Viral meningitis is most common, but generally less serious than that caused by bacteria. Fungal infections are the least common causes of meningitis.
Non-invasive pneumococcal disease: Non-invasive pneumococcal disease is more common than invasive. It is caused by the inflammation of mucosal tissue, such as the upper respiratory tract, middle ear and sinuses. This can lead to pneumonia, otitis media and sinusitis.
Otitis Media: Inflammation of the middle section of the ear often caused by infection.
Pneumococcal Infection: Infection caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, which is a variety of the bacterium Streptococcus
Pneumococcal meningitis: Meningitis caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Pneumococcal pneumonia: Pneumonia caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Pneumonia: Pneumonia is an infection that causes the air sacs in the lungs (called the alveoli), and the smaller bronchial tubes to become inflamed and fill with fluid. This makes it hard for the lungs to do their job, which is to get oxygen from the air into the bloodstream and then around the whole body. Pneumonia can be caused by viruses and bacteria but in most cases the precise cause is not discovered.
Polysaccharide vaccine: A type of vaccine made from the polysaccharide (sugar) coat of a bacterium.
PPV: Abbreviation for "Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine". PPV protects against 23 serotypes of the pneumococcal bacterium. It is not recommended for use in infants and children under the age of two because there is no evidence of effectiveness of PPV in this age group.
Septicaemia: A condition in which bacteria enter the blood stream where they release toxins or poisons.
Serotype: A sub type of a class of bacteria.
Sinusitis: Inflammation of the membrane lining of a sinus.
Sinus: Any bodily cavity or hollow space. In the context of this web site, the term refers to the nasal sinus.
Streptococcus pneumoniae: A member of the bacterium Streptococcus, which under the microscope has the appearance of a string of beads.
Virus: A type of micro-organism which causes infection. A virus consists of genetic material (DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protective coat of protein. It cannot multiply on its own so it invades healthy cells in order to proliferate.