Submit to Vaccines Review for Vaccines Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Vaccines against Pneumococcal Infection

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Vaccines against Infectious Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 22624

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Alan Cross

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
Interests: gram-negative bacteria; vaccines; CD28/B-7 immunosynapse; glycobiology; immune response; biodefense
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a significant cause of community-acquired morbidity and mortality in both pediatric and adult populations worldwide. In addition to being an important cause of respiratory infections, including pneumonia and otitis media, it also is a leading cause of sepsis and meningitis. While it has been susceptible to penicillin for many decades, in recent times it has become more resistant to this drug and other beta-lactam antibiotics, necessitating the use of additional classes of antibiotics. A better approach to pneumococcal infections, however, is to prevent their occurrence in the first place. Despite the multiplicity of capsular polysaccharide (CPS) serotypes (>90), a multivalent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine was initially developed that managed to provide a level of protective efficacy, at least against invasive infection. Since T cell-independent CPS antigens are poorly immunogenic, particularly during the first year of life, glycoconjugate vaccines were—and continue to be—developed to improve the antibody response in both infant and older populations. As additional CPS serotypes are added to these formulations, it is critical to continue epidemiologic studies to monitor the serotypes that are in circulation at various locations worldwide in order to ensure continued adequate coverage, particularly since “serotype replacement” has been observed following pneumococcal immunization. In addition to current glycoconjugate vaccines, novel formulations of pneumococcal vaccines are being developed that include non-CPS antigens and induction of Th17 immune responses, with the hope that these will enhance mucosal immunity. I would like to invite and encourage authors to submit their work to this Special Issue. In particular, I would like to welcome manuscripts on the topic of the distribution of pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide serotypes that are prevalent in various geographic locales and the impact of pneumococcal immunization. Submission of articles that review the pathophysiology of pneumococcal infection—particularly those that identify novel targets and/or strategies for next-generation pneumococcal vaccines conferring broad coverage—is also encouraged. Discussions of the novel aspects of the immune responses to these vaccines are also desirable.

Prof. Dr. Alan Cross
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

S. pneumoniae
pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide
glycoconjugate vaccine
host response
epidemiology
herd immunity

Published Papers (9 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

13 pages, 831 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pneumococcal Carriage in Infants Post-PCV10 Introduction in Pakistan: Results from Serial Cross-Sectional Surveys

by Shahira Shahid, Amala Khan, Muhammad Imran Nisar, Farah Khalid, Muhammad Farrukh Qazi, Sheraz Ahmed, Furqan Kabir, Aneeta Hotwani, Sahrish Muneer, Syed Asad Ali, Cynthia G. Whitney, Anita K. M. Zaidi and Fyezah Jehan

Vaccines 2022, 10(6), 971; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/vaccines10060971 - 18 Jun 2022

Viewed by 2354

Abstract

The 10-valent pneumococcal vaccine was introduced in Pakistan’s Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in 2013 as a 3 + 0 schedule without catchup. We conducted three annual cross-sectional surveys from 2014–2016 to measure vaccine-type (VT) carriage in infants from a rural part of Pakistan. Nasopharyngeal specimens were collected by random sampling of infants from two union councils of Matiari. Samples were then transported to the Infectious Disease Research Laboratory (IDRL) at the Aga Khan University within 6–8 h of collection. Serotypes were established using sequential multiplex PCR. Of the 665 children enrolled across three surveys, 547 were culture-positive for pneumococcus. VT carriage decreased from 21.8% in 2014 to 12.7% in 2016 (p-value for trend <0.001). Those who were not vaccinated or partially vaccinated were found to be at higher risk of carrying a VT serotype ((aOR 2.53, 95% CI 1.39, 4.63 for non-vaccinated) and (aOR 3.35, 95% CI 1.82, 6.16 for partially vaccinated)). On the other hand, being enrolled in the most recent survey was negatively associated with VT carriage (aOR 0.51, 95% CI 0.28, 0.93). We found that PCV10 was effective in decreasing the carriage of vaccine-type serotypes in Pakistani infants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccines against Pneumococcal Infection)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1685 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Pneumococcal Vaccination on Nasopharyngeal Carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Microbiota Profiles in Preschool Children in South East Poland

by Karolina Kielbik, Aleksandra Pietras, Joanna Jablonska, Adrian Bakiera, Anna Borek, Grazyna Niedzielska, Michal Grzegorczyk, Ewelina Grywalska and Izabela Korona-Glowniak

Vaccines 2022, 10(5), 791; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/vaccines10050791 - 17 May 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2222

Abstract

In 2017, Poland introduced the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) into its national immunization schedule. This prospective study was conducted between March and June 2020 to determine the impact of vaccination on prevalence of the nasopharyngeal carriage of S. pneumoniae in 176 healthy children and to determine how conjugate vaccines indirectly affect colonization of nasopharyngeal microbiota. Pneumococcal isolates were analyzed by serotyping and antimicrobial resistance tests. Nasopharyngeal microbiota were detected and identified using the culture method and real-time PCR amplification primers and hydrolysis-probe detection with the 16S rRNA gene as the target. In the vaccinated group of children, colonization was in 24.2% of children, compared to 21.4% in the unvaccinated group. Serotypes 23A and 23B constituted 41.5% of the isolates. Serotypes belonging to PCV10 and PCV13 constituted 4.9% and 17.1% of the isolates, respectively. S. pneumoniae isolates were resistant to penicillin (34.1%), erythromycin (31.7%), and co-trimoxazole (26.8%). Microbial DNA qPCR array correlated to increased amounts of Streptococcus mitis and S. sanguinis in vaccinated children, with reduced amounts of C. pseudodiphtericum, S. aureus, and M. catarrhalis. Introduction of PCV for routine infant immunization was associated with significant reductions in nasopharyngeal carriage of PCV serotypes and resistant strains amongst vaccine serotypes, yet carriage of non-PCV serotypes increased modestly, particularly serotype 23B. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccines against Pneumococcal Infection)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1232 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Correlation of Fc Receptor Polymorphisms with Pneumococcal Antibodies in Vaccinated Kidney Transplant Recipients

by Marie-Luise Arnold, Falko M. Heinemann, Simon Oesterreich, Benjamin Wilde, Anja Gäckler, David Goldblatt, Bernd M. Spriewald, Peter A. Horn, Oliver Witzke and Monika Lindemann

Vaccines 2022, 10(5), 725; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/vaccines10050725 - 05 May 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1793

Abstract

Several polymorphisms within Fc receptors (FCR) have been described, some of which correlate with allograft function. In the current study, we determined three Fcγ receptor and five Fcα receptor dimorphisms in 47 kidney transplant recipients who had been vaccinated against Streptococcus pneumoniae. We analyzed if FCR genotypes correlated with pneumococcal antibodies and their serotype-specific opsonophagocytic function, tested prior to and at months 1 and 12 post-vaccination. In parallel, we assessed antibodies against HLA and MICA and determined kidney function. We observed that IgG2 antibodies against pneumococci at months 1 and 12 after vaccination and IgA antibodies at month 1 differed significantly between the carriers of the three genotypes of FCGR3A rs396991 (V158F, p = 0.02; 0.04 and 0.009, respectively). Moreover, the genotype of FCGR3A correlated with serotype-specific opsonophagocytic function, reaching statistical significance (p < 0.05) at month 1 for 9/13 serotypes and at month 12 for 6/13 serotypes. Heterozygotes for FCGR3A had the lowest antibody response after pneumococcal vaccination. On the contrary, heterozygotes tended to have more antibodies against HLA class I and impaired kidney function. Taken together, our current data indicate that heterozygosity for FCGR3A may be unfavorable in kidney transplant recipients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccines against Pneumococcal Infection)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

9 pages, 408 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prevalence of Pneumococcal Carriage among Jordanian Infants in the First 6 Months of Age, 2008–2016

by Adnan Al-Lahham

Vaccines 2021, 9(11), 1283; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/vaccines9111283 - 05 Nov 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1704

Abstract

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae is an opportunistic human-adapted pathogen driven by nasopharyngeal carriage. Aims: To find the pneumococcal carriage rate, resistance, serotypes, and coverage of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) among infants in the first six months of age in the period from March 2008 to April 2016. Methods: Nasopharyngeal swabs (NP) were taken from healthy infants from the northern part of Jordan. Swabs were processed for cultivation, identification, resistance testing and serotyping according to standard methods. Results: During the surveillance period, 484 infants of this age group were tested, with a total carriage rate of 56.2%. 96.2% of infants one to two months of age got one PCV7 injection and were 58% carriers at the time of the first injection. At age three to four months, 84.9% had received two injections, with a carriage rate of 54.9% at the time of the second injection. At ages five to six months, 12.5% had received one to three injections, with a carriage rate of 43.8%. Predominant serotypes in all age groups were 19F (12.5%), 6A (11.4%), 11A (8.4%), 19A (7.0%), 6B (6.6%), 23F (5.9%), 15B (5.1%), 15A and 23A (4.0% each). Coverage of PCV7, PCV13 and the future PCV20 among all cases were 30.5%, 50.7% and 70.6%, respectively. The highest coverage rate of 78.6% was noticed in the age group at five to six months with the future PCV20. Antibiotic resistance was the highest in the first age group. Conclusions: Pneumococcal carriage starts from the first month of the infant’s life. The highest coverage was noticed for PCV20, which implies the necessity for inoculation with future vaccines. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccines against Pneumococcal Infection)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 1804 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Decrease of Pneumococcal Community-Acquired Pneumonia Hospitalization and Associated Complications in Children after the Implementation of the 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV13) in Taiwan

by Ching-Fen Shen, Ju-Ling Chen, Chien-Chou Su, Wen-Liang Lin, Min-Ling Hsieh, Ching-Chun Liu and Ching-Lan Cheng

Vaccines 2021, 9(9), 1043; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/vaccines9091043 - 18 Sep 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2365

Abstract

The impact of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) on overall community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and disease severity still needs thorough evaluation. In this study, we retrieve both pneumococcal CAP (P-CAP) and unspecific CAP (U-CAP) inpatient data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database (NHID) between 2005 and 2016. The interrupted time-series (ITS) analysis was performed to compare the incidence trend before and after the implementation of PCV13. After PCV13 implementation, there is a significant decreasing trend of P-CAP hospitalization, especially in children <1 year, 2–5 years, adults aged 19–65 years, 66 years, or older (all p value < 0.05). This corresponds to a 59% reduction in children <1 year, 47% in children aged 2–5 years, 39% in adult aged 19–65 years, and 41% in elderly aged 66 years or older. The intensive care rate (6.8% to 3.9%), severe pneumonia cases (21.7 to 14.5 episodes per 100,000 children–years), and the need for invasive procedures (4.3% to 2.0%) decreased in children aged 2–5 years (p value < 0.0001) with P-CAP. This PCV13 implementation program in Taiwan not only reduced the incidence of P-CAP, but also attenuated disease severity, especially in children aged 2–5 years. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccines against Pneumococcal Infection)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 697 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effectiveness of a Multifaceted Informational-Based and Text Message Reminders on Pneumococcal and Influenza Vaccinations in Hospital Emergency Departments: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

by Sarah Tubiana, José Labarere, Jacques Levraut, Pierre Michelet, Fleur Jourda de Vaux, Benoit Doumenc, Pierre Hausfater, Christophe Choquet, Patrick Plaisance, Jeannot Schmidt, Véronique Mattei, Olivier Gacia, Didier Storme, Patrick Ray, Guillaume Der Sahakian, Marie-Clément Kouka, Laure Jainsky, Jocelyn Raude, Xavier Duval and Yann-Erick Claessens

Vaccines 2021, 9(9), 962; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/vaccines9090962 - 28 Aug 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1964

Abstract

Objectives. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a multifaceted procedure in improving pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations 6 months after an emergency department (ED) visit among patients aged 65 years and older. Methods. We conducted a cluster-randomized, controlled, parallel-group, open-label implementation trial in 18 EDs in France and Monaco. Participants were recruited from November 2015 to September 2016. EDs were randomly assigned with a 1:1 ratio to provide either a multifaceted procedure that combined structured information about pneumococcal and influenza vaccines and three text message reminders sent to patients every two weeks (intervention arm) or nonstructured information only (control arm). The outcomes were self-reported pneumococcal vaccination and influenza vaccination rates within 6 months of enrollment. Results. A total of 9 EDs were randomized to the intervention arm (n = 780 patients) and 9 to the control arm (n = 695 patients). The median age for all enrolled patients was 74 years (25–75th percentiles, 69 to 82): 50.1% were male, 34.9% had at least one underlying condition, and 30.7% were at risk for invasive pneumococcal infection. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the multifaceted intervention did not alter the pneumococcal vaccination rate (6.4% versus 4.6%, absolute difference: 1.8; 95% CI: [−0.9 to 4.4]; p = 0.19), whereas it improved the influenza vaccination rate (52.1% versus 40.0%, absolute difference: 12.1; 95% CI: [2.4 to 21.8]; p = 0.01). At 12 months, mortality did not differ between the intervention (9.7%) and control (11.2%) arms (p = 0.35). Conclusions. A multifaceted intervention based on text message reminders provides an opportunity to increase anti-influenza vaccination among elderly patients visiting the ED. Efforts are warranted to provide better information on pneumococcal diseases and the benefits of pneumococcal vaccines, especially in the elderly. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccines against Pneumococcal Infection)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 587 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Urban and Rural Disparities in Pneumococcal Carriage and Resistance in Jordanian Children, 2015–2019

by Adnan Al-Lahham, Nashat Khanfar, Noor Albataina, Rana Al Shwayat, Rawsan Altwal, Talal Abulfeilat, Ghaith Alawneh, Mohammad Khurd and Abdelsalam Alqadi Altamimi

Vaccines 2021, 9(7), 789; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/vaccines9070789 - 14 Jul 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2136

Abstract

Background: A pneumococcal carriage surveillance study took place examining Jordanian children in urban and rural areas in the period 2015–2019. Objectives: To determine urban and rural differences in pneumococcal carriage rate, resistance, and serotypes among healthy Jordanian children from Amman (urban) and eastern Madaba (rural). Methods: Nasopharyngeal swabs (NP) were taken from 682 children aged 1 to 163 months. Pneumococcal identification, serotyping, and resistance were performed according to standard method. Results: The number of cases tested for Amman was 267 and there were 415 cases tested for eastern Madaba. Carriage rate for eastern Madaba was 39.5% and 31.1% for Amman. Predominant serotypes for eastern Madaba and Amman were 19F (21.3%; 15.7%), 23F (12.2%; 9.6%), 14 (6.7%; 2.4%), 19A (4.9%; 2.4%), and 6A (5.5%; 3.6%). Resistance rates for eastern Madaba and Amman were as follows: penicillin (95.8%; 81.9%), clarithromycin (68.9%; 59.0%), clindamycin (40.8%; 31.3%), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (73.2%; 61.4%). Coverage of PCV7, PCV13, and the future PCV20 for Amman was 42.2%, 48.2%, and 60.2%; for eastern Madaba, coverage was 50.0%, 62.2%, and 73.2%, respectively. In Amman 25.8% of children received 1–3 PCV7 injections compared to 1.9% of children in eastern Madaba. Conclusions: There were significant differences in carriage, resistance, and coverage between both regions. The potential inclusion of a PCV vaccination program for rural areas is essential. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccines against Pneumococcal Infection)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

16 pages, 304 KiB

Open AccessReview

Pneumococcal Immunization Strategies for High-Risk Pediatric Populations Worldwide: One Size Does Not Fit All

by Theano Lagousi, Ioanna Papadatou, Petros Strempas, Elena Chatzikalil and Vana Spoulou

Vaccines 2021, 9(12), 1390; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/vaccines9121390 - 24 Nov 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3033

Abstract

Despite the significant reduction in pneumococcal disease due to pneumococcal vaccines, protection of vulnerable high-risk individuals, especially pediatric populations, remains a great challenge. In an effort to maximize the protection of high-risk children against pneumococcal disease, a combined schedule that includes both conjugate and polysaccharide vaccines is recommended by several countries in the developed world. On the other hand, middle- and low-income countries do not have in place established policies for pneumococcal immunization of children at risk. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, despite their benefits, have several limitations, mainly associated with serotype replacement and the wide range of serotype coverage worldwide. In addition, PPV23-impaired immunogenicity and the hyporesponsiveness effect among populations at risk have been well-documented. Therefore, the added value of continuing to include PPV23 in vaccination schedules for high-risk individuals in the years to come remains to be determined by monitoring whether the replacing/remaining serotypes causing IPD are covered by PPV23 to determine whether its benefits outweigh its limitations. In this review, we aim to describe serotype distribution and vaccine efficacy data on pneumococcal disease in the pre- and post-PCV implementation era among high-risk children in both developed and developing countries, assessing the optimization of current recommendations for their vaccination against pneumococcal disease. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccines against Pneumococcal Infection)

16 pages, 346 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Pneumococcal Vaccines: Past Findings, Present Work, and Future Strategies

by Giuliana S. Oliveira, Maria Leonor S. Oliveira, Eliane N. Miyaji and Tasson C. Rodrigues

Vaccines 2021, 9(11), 1338; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/vaccines9111338 - 17 Nov 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3777

Abstract

The importance of Streptococcus pneumoniae has been well established. These bacteria can colonize infants and adults without symptoms, but in some cases can spread, invade other tissues and cause disease with high morbidity and mortality. The development of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) caused an enormous impact in invasive pneumococcal disease and protected unvaccinated people by herd effect. However, serotype replacement is a well-known phenomenon that has occurred after the introduction of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) and has also been reported for other PCVs. Therefore, it is possible that serotype replacement will continue to occur even with higher valence formulations, but the development of serotype-independent vaccines might overcome this problem. Alternative vaccines are under development in order to improve cost effectiveness, either using proteins or the pneumococcal whole cell. These approaches can be used as a stand-alone strategy or together with polysaccharide vaccines. Looking ahead, the next generation of pneumococcal vaccines can be impacted by the new technologies recently approved for human use, such as mRNA vaccines and viral vectors. In this paper, we will review the advantages and disadvantages of the addition of new polysaccharides in the current PCVs, mainly for low- and middle-income countries, and we will also address future perspectives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccines against Pneumococcal Infection)

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Vaccines against Pneumococcal Infection

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (9 papers)

Research

Review

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI