Recently, there have been increasing numbers of pneumococcal pneumonia cases, with their associated complications. We conducted a retrospective review to increase the understanding of childhood pneumococcal pneumonia. Seventy- one patients with pneumococcal pneumonia were identified. Forty ( 56.3%) of them developed complicated pneumonia. Multivariate analysis showed that presence of immature polymorphonuclear leukocytes in peripheral blood (odds ratio [OR], 3.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1. 08 - 12.63), high C-reactive protein levels ( 112 mg/dL) ( OR, 5.24; 95% CI, 1.10 - 24.93), and no underlying disease at presentation ( OR, 5.48; 95% CI, 1.06 - 28.25) were independent predictors of the occurrence of necrosis or/and abscess. Fourteen isolates (35%), which were genotypically identical and had the same pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern ( serogroup 14, with MICs of penicillin of 0.1 - 0.5 mug/mL), were significantly associated with complicated pneumonia (p= .047). Whether the virulence of antibiotic-resistant pneumococci is evolving deserves further investigation. ; 醫學系檢驗醫學科 ; 醫學系 ; 醫學院 ; 期刊論文