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2nd Edition of Vaccines against Pneumococcal Infection
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2nd Edition of Vaccines against Pneumococcal Infection

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2024 | Viewed by 5938

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 (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1599 KiB  
Article
Mortality of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease following Introduction of the 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in Greenland
by Kristiana Alexandrova Nikolova, Mikael Andersson, Hans-Christian Slotved and Anders Koch
Vaccines 2024, 12(2), 179; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12020179 - 9 Feb 2024
Viewed by 804
Abstract
Before the incorporation of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) into the childhood vaccination regimen in Greenland in 2010, Inuit populations experienced a substantial prevalence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). The PCV13 introduction has been shown to markedly reduce the incidence of IPD. [...] Read more.
Before the incorporation of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) into the childhood vaccination regimen in Greenland in 2010, Inuit populations experienced a substantial prevalence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). The PCV13 introduction has been shown to markedly reduce the incidence of IPD. This current study estimated the impact of PCV13 introduction on IPD mortality in Greenland. This was a nationwide register-based study using all available data on IPD cases 1995–2020 in Greenland. Thirty-one-day IPD case fatality rates (CFR), and all-cause and mortality rates associated with IPD during the period before the introduction of PCV13 (January 1995 to September 2010) were compared with those observed in the post-PCV13 era (September 2010 to October 2020). Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) expressed differences in mortality by sex, age, region, ethnicity, comorbidity, and serotype. IPD CFR decreased with 24.5% from the pre- to the post-PCV13 period. SMR in IPD patients decreased by 57% (95% CI, 36–75%), and a reduction occurred in all age groups. While SMR in IPD persons ≥60 years remained virtually unchanged, there were no IPD-related deaths in persons ≤39 years in the post-PCV13 period. In conclusion, IPD-related mortality has decreased in Greenland following PCV13 introduction in 2010 in the country. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Vaccines against Pneumococcal Infection)
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11 pages, 4901 KiB  
Article
Pneumonia Mortality Trends in Children under 5 Years of Age in the Context of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccination in Peru, 2003–2017
by Carlos A. Sanchez, Michelle Lozada-Urbano and Pablo Best-Bandenay
Vaccines 2023, 11(11), 1715; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11111715 - 14 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1147
Abstract
Worldwide, conjugated pneumococcal vaccines (PCVs) have proven effective against invasive pneumococcal disease, but non-invasive pneumonia is a major cause of mortality in young children and serotypes vary geographically, affecting effectiveness. We analyze nationwide death certificate data between 2003–2017 to assess the impact of [...] Read more.
Worldwide, conjugated pneumococcal vaccines (PCVs) have proven effective against invasive pneumococcal disease, but non-invasive pneumonia is a major cause of mortality in young children and serotypes vary geographically, affecting effectiveness. We analyze nationwide death certificate data between 2003–2017 to assess the impact of PCVs on pneumonia mortality among young children from Peru. We report descriptive statistics and perform timeseries analysis on annual mortality rates (AMRs) and monthly frequencies of pneumonia deaths. Children under 5 years of age accounted for 6.2% (n = 10,408) of all pneumonia deaths (N = 166,844), and 32.3% (n = 3363) were children between 1–4 years of age, of which 95.1% did not report pneumonia etiology. Comparing periods before and after PCV introduction in 2009, mean AMRs dropped 13.5% and 26.0% for children between 1–4 years of age (toddlers/preschoolers), and children under 1 year of age (infants), respectively. A moderate correlation (Spearman’s r = 0.546, p < 0.01) in the monthly frequency of pneumonia deaths was estimated between both age groups. Quadratic regression suggests a change in direction around 2005 (highest pneumonia mortality) for both age groups, but percentage change analysis identified an inflection point in 2013 for infants only, not for toddlers/preschoolers, suggesting that the impact of PCVs might be different for each age group. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Vaccines against Pneumococcal Infection)
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16 pages, 6030 KiB  
Article
General Practitioners’ Awareness and Perception of Current Pneumococcal Vaccination for Adult Patients with Known Risk Factors in Switzerland: Evidence from a Survey
by Sandro Tiziano Stoffel, Matthias Schwenkglenks and Thomas Mutschler
Vaccines 2023, 11(6), 1101; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11061101 - 15 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1621
Abstract
In Switzerland, the National Immunization Advisory Group (NITAG) has formulated recommendations for pneumococcal vaccination among adult risk patients. Little is known about general practitioners’ (GPs’) perception, knowledge, and implementation of these recommendations. Therefore, we investigated GPs’ awareness and drivers of and barriers to [...] Read more.
In Switzerland, the National Immunization Advisory Group (NITAG) has formulated recommendations for pneumococcal vaccination among adult risk patients. Little is known about general practitioners’ (GPs’) perception, knowledge, and implementation of these recommendations. Therefore, we investigated GPs’ awareness and drivers of and barriers to pneumococcal vaccination using a cross-sectional web-based survey of GPs. Of the 300 study participants, 81.3% were aware of the recommendations for vaccinating at-risk adult patients, but only 42.7% were aware of all risk groups. The recommendations were perceived by 79.7% as slightly to very complex. Most GPs (66.7%) had good arguments to convince patients to get vaccinated, but only 41.7% reported recognizing patients at risk for pneumococcal disease, and only 46.7% checked their patients’ vaccination status and proposed vaccination if needed. The main reasons for not vaccinating were patients’ refusal (80.1%), lack of reimbursement by the health insurance (34.5%), patients’ fear of side effects (25.1%), and lack of regulatory approval despite the NITAG recommendations (23.7%). Most (77.3%) agreed that the treating chronic disease specialist should recommend the vaccination and 94.7% believed that adult-risk patients would not be aware of their need for pneumococcal vaccinations. Optimal implementation of the recommendations will require addressing knowledge gaps and reported barriers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Vaccines against Pneumococcal Infection)
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17 pages, 2682 KiB  
Article
30-Minute Highly Multiplexed VaxArray Immunoassay for Pneumococcal Vaccine Antigen Characterization
by Tianjing Hu, David F. Miller, Amber W. Taylor, Christine Riley, Caitlin McCormick, Keely N. Thomas, Rachel Y. Gao, Kathy L. Rowlen, Emilia B. Byrne, Pardeep Kumar, Soo Kyung Kim and Erica D. Dawson
Vaccines 2022, 10(11), 1964; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10111964 - 19 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1825
Abstract
Pneumonia accounts for over 20% of deaths worldwide in children aged 1 to 5 years, disproportionately affecting lower- and middle-income countries. Effective, highly multivalent pneumococcal vaccines are available to decrease disease burden, with numerous new vaccines currently under development to serve a variety [...] Read more.
Pneumonia accounts for over 20% of deaths worldwide in children aged 1 to 5 years, disproportionately affecting lower- and middle-income countries. Effective, highly multivalent pneumococcal vaccines are available to decrease disease burden, with numerous new vaccines currently under development to serve a variety of worldwide markets. However, pneumococcal conjugate vaccines are among the hardest biologics to manufacture and characterize due to their complexity and heterogeneity. Current characterization methods are often inherently singleplex, requiring separate tests for each serotype present. In addition, identity and quantity are often determined with separate methods. We developed the VaxArray pneumococcal assay for applications in identity, quantity, and stability testing of pneumococcal polysaccharide and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. The VaxArray pneumococcal assay has a time to result of less than 30 min and is an off-the-shelf multiplexed, microarray-based immunoassay kit that can identify and simultaneously quantify 23 pneumococcal polysaccharide serotypes common to many on-market and in-development vaccines. Here, we highlight the potential of the assay for identity testing by showing high reactivity and serotype specificity to a wide variety of native polysaccharides, CRM197-conjugated polysaccharides, and drug product. The assay also has vaccine-relevant lower limits of quantification in the low-to-mid ng/mL range and can be used for accurate quantification even in adjuvanted vaccines. Excellent correlation to the anthrone assay is demonstrated, with VaxArray resulting in significantly improved precision over this antiquated chemical method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Vaccines against Pneumococcal Infection)
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