Types of Infection

Bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae, or pneumococcus, can cause many types of infections. Some of these infections can be life threatening.

lungs
Pneumonia

A lung infection

heart
Bacteremia

A blood infection

nose
Sinusitis

A sinus infection

Doctors consider some of these infections “invasive.” Invasive disease means that germs invade parts of the body that are normally free from germs. When this happens, disease is usually very severe, requiring care in a hospital and even causing death in some cases.