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Which pneumococcal serogroups cause the most invasive disease: implications for conjugate vaccine formulation and

W P Hausdorff1, J Bryant, P R Paradiso

  • 1Wyeth-Lederle Vaccines, West Henrietta and Pearl River, NY 14586, USA. Hausdowp@war.wyeth.com

Clinical Infectious Diseases : an Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
|January 5, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Conjugate vaccines target key pneumococcal serogroups causing invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). Current vaccines offer substantial IPD prevention across regions and age groups, though some serogroups remain underrepresented.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Vaccinology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is a significant global health concern.
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae serogroups vary in prevalence by age and geographic region.
  • Existing conjugate vaccines aim to cover the most common IPD-causing serogroups.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the serogroups responsible for IPD with those included in current pneumococcal conjugate vaccine formulations.
  • To assess the potential impact of existing vaccines on reducing the global IPD burden.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of over 70 recent datasets on pneumococcal isolates.
  • Comparison of serogroup prevalence data with the composition of 7-valent and 9-valent conjugate vaccines.
  • Stratification of data by geographic region and age group (young children, older children/adults).

Main Results:

  • 5-8 and 10-11 serogroups account for at least 75% of IPD in young children and older individuals, respectively, across regions.
  • 7-valent vaccine serogroups cover 70%-88% of IPD in young children in most regions, but <65% in Latin America and Asia.
  • 9-valent vaccine serogroups cover 80%-90% of IPD in most regions, with lower coverage in Asia (66%).
  • Serogroup 1 is a notable cause of IPD across regions, except in the US, Canada, and Oceania.
  • Several non-vaccine serogroups are significant causes of IPD in older children and adults.

Conclusions:

  • Current pneumococcal conjugate vaccines cover a substantial proportion of IPD-causing serogroups.
  • Vaccine effectiveness varies by region and age group, with some serogroups remaining significant contributors to IPD.
  • Further consideration of underrepresented serogroups may enhance future vaccine strategies.

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