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Vaccines
Special Issues
Pneumococcal Vaccines: Current Status and Future Prospects
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Pneumococcal Vaccines: Current Status and Future Prospects

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 July 2025 | Viewed by 7396

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Vana Spoulou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Interests: immunology vaccination; vaccines immune response; vaccine production
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Joanna Papadatou

E-Mail
Co-Guest Editor
School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Interests: immunology of infectious diseases; clinical immunology; conjugate vaccines; vaccines; immunity; immunogenicity; B cells

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Streptococcus pneumonia, also known as Pneumococcus, is responsible for causing significant morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially among the very young and the elderly. Pneumococcal vaccines have effectively reduced the incidence of pneumococcal disease, particularly in these high-risk populations. However, maintaining high levels of protection against pneumococcal infections worldwide is challenging. The effectiveness of currently available vaccines is affected by multiple factors such as pneumococcal serotype replacement, vaccine formulation and vaccination schedule used in each setting, vaccination coverage, and prevalence of comorbidities.

In this Special Issue of Vaccines, we aim to gather an important collection of articles that explore the latest research and development efforts in Pneumococcal vaccines. We welcome Original Articles, Literature Reviews, and Viewpoints covering vaccination programs, the epidemiology of pneumococcal disease, and the challenges and opportunities for further vaccine development.

Dr. Vana Spoulou
Dr. Joanna Papadatou
Guest Editors

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

  • streptococcus pneumonia
  • pneumococcal disease
  • pneumococcal vaccines
  • epidemiology

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 670 KiB  
Article
Epidemiological Impact of Increasing Vaccination Coverage Rate and Re-Vaccination on Pneumococcal Disease in Older Adults in Germany
by Oluwaseun Sharomi, Marion de Lepper, Sarah Mihm-Sippel, Thorsten Reuter, Claudia Solleder, Giulio Meleleo, Tufail M. Malik, Kevin M. Bakker and Rachel J. Oidtman
Vaccines 2025, 13(5), 475; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13050475 - 28 Apr 2025
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: The clinical impact of replacing the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) for the vaccination of older (≥60 years) and at-risk German adults with either the 20-valent (PCV20) or 21-valent (V116) pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) was evaluated. Methods: An age- and serotype-specific transmission [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The clinical impact of replacing the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) for the vaccination of older (≥60 years) and at-risk German adults with either the 20-valent (PCV20) or 21-valent (V116) pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) was evaluated. Methods: An age- and serotype-specific transmission model was adapted to Germany to evaluate the impact of V116 versus PCV20 vaccination on pneumococcal disease (PD) incidence, including invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and inpatient and outpatient non-bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia, over 10 years. A reference strategy (PPSV23 vaccination at a constant 30% vaccine coverage rate (VCR)) was compared against eight strategies varying by PCV (PCV20 vs. V116), VCR (30% vs. 60%), with or without the PCV revaccination of previously PPSV23-vaccinated adults (0% vs. 50% revaccination). Results: Vaccination with PCV20 and V116 initially decreased PD incidence, but incidence returned to pre-vaccine levels after five and eight years, respectively. Increasing the VCR to 60% prevented this resurgence. At a 10-year time horizon, V116 with 30% VCR reduced IPD cases by 9%, inpatient NBPP cases by 10%, and outpatient NBPP cases by 7% compared to the reference strategy. PCV20 with 30% VCR reduced these cases by 6%, 5%, and 4%, respectively. Increasing the VCR to 60% and revaccinating 50% of previously PPSV23-vaccinated adults further reduced IPD cases by 14% and 13% for V116, and by 9% and 9% for PCV20. Conclusions: Increasing the vaccination coverage rate to 60% and strategically revaccinating previously PPSV23-vaccinated adults significantly enhanced the effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccines, with V116 showing greater overall reductions in disease incidence compared to PCV20 or PPSV23. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pneumococcal Vaccines: Current Status and Future Prospects)
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13 pages, 392 KiB  
Article
Burden of Pneumococcal Disease in Young Children Due to Serotypes Contained in Different Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines in Eight Asian Countries and Territories
by Liping Huang, Xiuyan Li, Ng Eugenia, Johnnie Leung, Sheng-Tzu (Alice) Hung, Ervin Zhi Bin Cheong, Ricardo Avila, Winniefer Nua, Kornvipa Choowanich, Ritika Rampal, Namrata Kulkarni, Derek Daigle and Bulent Nuri Taysi
Vaccines 2024, 12(10), 1197; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12101197 - 19 Oct 2024
Viewed by 2170
Abstract
Background: Pneumococcal disease (PD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in young children in Asia and globally. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) have significantly reduced the burden of PD when included in pediatric national immunization programs (NIPs). This study estimates the clinical [...] Read more.
Background: Pneumococcal disease (PD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in young children in Asia and globally. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) have significantly reduced the burden of PD when included in pediatric national immunization programs (NIPs). This study estimates the clinical and economic burden of PD due to serotypes contained in different PCVs in children aged < 5 years in eight Asian countries/territories. Methods: Based on published data, a cohort-based decision analytic model was used to estimate annual PD cases, deaths, and direct medical costs associated with serotypes contained in PCV10, PCV13, PCV15, and PCV20. Results: PD incidence rates were lower in regions with PCV13 in their NIP than those without. Serotypes contained in higher but not lower valency PCVs resulted in a significant incremental clinical and economic burden, although the difference between PCV13 and PCV15 serotypes was generally small. Moving from PCV13 to PCV20 was estimated to result in greater clinical and economic burden reductions. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the remaining and incremental burden of PD from PCV10 to PCV20 serotypes in young children in selected Asian regions. Extending NIP access to higher-valency PCVs with broader serotype coverage and improving vaccine uptake will help prevent morbidity and deaths and save healthcare costs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pneumococcal Vaccines: Current Status and Future Prospects)
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15 pages, 553 KiB  
Article
Post-Transplantation Seroprotection Rates in Liver, Lung, and Heart Transplant Recipients Vaccinated Pre-Transplantation against Hepatitis B Virus and Invasive Pneumococcal Disease
by Lise Bank Hornung, Sebastian Rask Hamm, Annemette Hald, Zitta Barrella Harboe, Lene Fogt Lundbo, Neval Ete Wareham, Line Dam Heftdal, Christina Ekenberg, Stephanie Bjerrum, Jon Gitz Holler, Inger Hee Mabuza Mathiesen, Paul Suno Krohn, Peter Nissen Bjerring, Finn Gustafsson, Michael Perch, Allan Rasmussen and Susanne Dam Nielsen
Vaccines 2024, 12(10), 1092; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12101092 - 25 Sep 2024
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Abstract
Vaccination before solid organ transplantation is recommended since post-transplantation immunosuppression is known to impair vaccine responses. However, little is known about post-transplantation seroprotection rates in organ transplant recipients vaccinated pre-transplantation. We aimed to investigate the proportion of transplant recipients vaccinated against hepatitis B [...] Read more.
Vaccination before solid organ transplantation is recommended since post-transplantation immunosuppression is known to impair vaccine responses. However, little is known about post-transplantation seroprotection rates in organ transplant recipients vaccinated pre-transplantation. We aimed to investigate the proportion of transplant recipients vaccinated against hepatitis B virus (HBV) and invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) pre-transplantation at the time of listing for transplantation with post-transplantation seroprotection. We included 136 solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients vaccinated at the time of listing for transplantation. We investigated post-transplantation antibody concentrations against HBV and IPD. Established antibody thresholds were used to define seroprotection. The proportions of SOT recipients with post-transplantation seroprotection were 27.9% (n = 38) and 42.6% (n = 58) against HBV and IPD, respectively. Compared to completing HBV vaccination pre-transplantation, completing post-transplantation vaccination (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 7.8, 95% CI: 2.5–24.5, p < 0.001) and incomplete vaccination (aOR: 6.3, 95% CI: 1.2–32.6, p = 0.028) were associated with non-response against HBV, after adjustment for confounders. Importantly, patients with seroprotection at the time of listing had lower odds of non-response against HBV (aOR: 0.04, 95% CI: 0.0–0.1, p < 0.001) and IPD (aOR: 0.3, 95% CI: 0.1–0.7, p = 0.007) compared to those without seroprotection. SOT recipients vaccinated pre-transplantation had low post-transplantation seroprotection rates against HBV and IPD. However, SOT recipients with seroprotection at the time of listing had lower odds of non-response, suggesting early vaccination should be a priority. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pneumococcal Vaccines: Current Status and Future Prospects)
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11 pages, 1579 KiB  
Article
The Divergent Effect of Different Infant Vaccination Schedules of the 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine on Serotype-Specific Immunological Memory
by Irene Tzovara, Ioanna Papadatou, Marianna Tzanoudaki, Christina Piperi, Christina Kanaka-Gantenbein and Vana Spoulou
Vaccines 2024, 12(9), 1024; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12091024 - 7 Sep 2024
Viewed by 2030
Abstract
Pneumococcal vaccination schedules are traditionally assessed based on the antibody response. The Memory B Cell (MBC) response has been less studied, despite its role in the magnitude and longevity of protection. We compared the immune response to different vaccination schedules with the 13-valent [...] Read more.
Pneumococcal vaccination schedules are traditionally assessed based on the antibody response. The Memory B Cell (MBC) response has been less studied, despite its role in the magnitude and longevity of protection. We compared the immune response to different vaccination schedules with the 13-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV13) and investigated the relationship between MBCs and the antibody response. Total and pneumococcal serotype (PS)-specific MBCs, their subsets and PS-specific IgG antibodies induced by a 3 + 0 (group A), 2 + 1 (group B) or 3 + 1 (group C) schedule in healthy infants were studied before and 1 month after the last PCV13. The relatively immature IgM+IgD+ MBC subset was the predominant subset in all groups but was larger in group A compared to group B and group C, indicating that age might be a significant parameter of the composition of the MBC pool. PS-specific MBCs at baseline were higher in group A, but they increased significantly only in the groups receiving the booster schedules (groups B and C). PS-specific IgM-only MBCs at baseline positively corelated with the antibody response and the PS-specific swIg MBCs post-immunization. Our findings illustrate the importance of a booster dose for the enrichment of PS-specific immunological memory. IgM-only MBCs and swIg MBCs may serve as additional correlates of vaccine-induced protection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pneumococcal Vaccines: Current Status and Future Prospects)
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