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Childhood empyema: limited potential impact of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

Margaret Fletcher1, John Leeming, Keith Cartwright

  • 1Faculty of Health and Social Care, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. Margaret.Fletcher@uwe.ac.uk

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
|May 30, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric pleural empyema cases significantly increased, with Streptococcus pneumoniae identified in most. A widely used vaccine lacking serotype 1 would not have prevented this rise in our region.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric infectious diseases
  • Respiratory infections
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Pleural empyema is a serious lung infection in children.
  • A notable increase in pediatric pleural empyema was observed locally.
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae is a common cause of bacterial pneumonia.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the causes of a 3-fold increase in pediatric pleural empyema.
  • To identify the specific bacterial agents and serotypes involved.
  • To assess the potential impact of existing vaccines on this observed increase.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of pediatric pleural empyema cases from 2003-2004.
  • Antigen analysis of pleural fluid samples.
  • Identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae and its capsular polysaccharide serotypes.

Main Results:

  • A 3-fold increase in pediatric pleural empyema cases was recorded.
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae was identified in 27 out of 29 available samples.
  • Capsular polysaccharide type 1 was present in 18 of the identified Streptococcus pneumoniae strains.

Conclusions:

  • The rise in pediatric pleural empyema was primarily associated with Streptococcus pneumoniae.
  • Serotype 1 was a dominant strain, indicating limited impact from vaccines lacking this antigen.
  • Local vaccination strategies may need to consider serotype 1 coverage for effective prevention.

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