Pneumococcal disease is an infection caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria (“pneumococcus”). These bacteria can cause many types of illnesses, including: pneumonia (infection of the lungs), ear infections, sinus infections, meningitis (infection of the covering around the brain and spinal cord), and bacteremia (blood stream infection). Pneumococcus bacteria are spread through coughing, sneezing, and close contact with an infected person.||Symptoms of pneumococcal disease depend on the part of the body that is infected. They can include fever, cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, stiff neck, confusion and disorientation, sensitivity to light, joint pain, chills, ear pain, sleeplessness, and irritability. In severe cases, pneumococcal disease can cause hearing loss, brain damage, and death.||Source:|Streptococcus pneumoniae clinical strain from coproculture.||Applications: |Suitable for use as a positive control in Lateral Flow assays. Other applications not tested.||Recommended Dilution:|Optimal dilutions to be determined by the researcher.||Inactivation:|Binary Ethylenimine + Formaldehyde Inactivation. Confirmed by absence of colonies after 72 hours.||Storage and Stability:|May be stored at 4°C for short-term only. Aliquot to avoid repeated freezing and thawing. Store at -20°C. Aliquots are stable for 12 months after receipt. For maximum recovery of product, centrifuge the original vial after thawing and prior to removing the cap.