Pneumonia is the most common invasive pneumococcal disease; however, only a small portion of
cases can be confirmed by conventional techniques. The present study aimed at comparing the
molecular detection of Streptococcal pneumoniae by the standard blood culture in communityacquired pneumonia among Egyptian children. Standard blood culture of Streptococcal
pneumoniae and sequence-specific PCR amplification of autolysin gene were performed. There
was a statistically significant increase in PCR diagnosed cases than that diagnosed by blood
culture with higher PCR sensitivity. Also, there was a statistically significant decrease in culture
diagnosed cases among those receiving empirical antibiotic treatment prior sampling. This study
concluded that molecular detection of Streptococcal pneumoniae may be more accurate and rapid
in diagnosis of pediatric community-acquired pneumonia below five years than the standard
blood culture.