Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2026
Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
[Efficacy of heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in children with cochlear implant]
Isabel de Miguel-Martínez1, Angel Ramos-Macías, Silvia Borkoski Barreiro
1Servicio de Microbiología, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular Maternoinfantil de Gran Canaria, Universidad de Las Palmas, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, España. imigmar@gobiernodecanarias.org
Insights
The heptavalent conjugate vaccine (VPn7) significantly reduced Streptococcus pneumoniae nasopharyngeal carriage in children with cochlear implants. Vaccinated children experienced fewer complications, though non-vaccine serotypes emerged.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Vaccinology
- Microbiology
Context:
- Cochlear implants increase susceptibility to Streptococcus pneumoniae infections.
- Nasopharyngeal carriage is a key factor in pneumococcal transmission and disease.
- Evaluating vaccine efficacy in vulnerable pediatric populations is crucial.
Purpose:
- To assess the efficacy of the heptavalent conjugate vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae (VPn7) in children with cochlear implants.
- To analyze the impact of VPn7 vaccination on nasopharyngeal carriage eradication and complication prevention.
- To determine antimicrobial resistance patterns of pneumococci in vaccinated and non-vaccinated children.
Summary:
- A prospective study compared VPn7-vaccinated cochlear implant recipients (55) with unvaccinated healthy children (60).
- Nasopharyngeal swabs were cultured to identify pneumococcal serotypes and antibiotic sensitivity.
- Vaccinated children showed a reduction in pneumococcal carriage from 25% to 11% compared to controls.
Impact:
- VPn7 vaccination decreases overall pneumococcal colonization, particularly vaccine serotypes.
- No S pneumoniae complications were observed in vaccinated cochlear implant recipients.
- Emergence of non-vaccine serotypes necessitates ongoing surveillance and potential vaccine updates.
Objective:
The aim is to analyze the efficacy of heptavalent conjugate vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae (VPn7) in children with cochlear implant, in relation with the eradication of nasopharyngeal carriers and the prevention of complications. Analysis of the antimicrobial resistance and sensitivity of the different pneumococci strains isolated in cochlear implant nasopharyngeal carriers and healthy non-vaccinated children.
Method:
Pneumococcal nasopharyngeal carriers were analyzed in this prospective study including two groups of children aged between 2 and 5 years, from 2005 to 2006. The first group included 55 cochlear implant recipients and all of them were vaccinated with VPn7. The second group included 60 non-vaccinated healthy children. Nasopharyngeal swabs for culture were obtained from each child in order to detect the pneumococcus, its serotypes and the sensitivity to antibiotics.
Results:
In the control group of non-vaccinated children, 25% of them were found to be pharyngeal pneumococcus carriers, whereas this figure fell to 11% in the vaccinated group. The non-vaccine serotypes (83.3%) isolated in vaccinated children showed high or moderate sensitivity to penicillin. There were no complications due to S pneumoniae infections in any of the patients with cochlear implant who were vaccinated.
Conclusions:
VPn7 contributes to a decrease in pharyngeal colonization by pneumococci in general and, in particular, by the pneumococcal serotypes included in the vaccine, although there is a replacement phenomenon involving non-vaccine serotypes.
