Heptavalent pneumococcal vaccine conjugated to outer membrane protein of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup b and nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae in infants.
BACKGROUND
Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp) is an important bacterial pathogen in children. Nasopharyngeal (NP) colonization of S. pneumoniae is necessary for person-to-person transmission and often precedes invasive disease.


METHODS
NP carriage of Sp was studied in 49 infants following administration of a heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) conjugated to the outer membrane protein of serogroup b Neisseria meningitidis (vaccine serotypes: 4, 6B, 9V, 14, 18C, 19F, 23F). The vaccine was administered at 2, 4, 6, and 12 months of age and carriage rates were compared to a concurrent group of 32 infants not given PCV and evaluated over the first 15 months of life.


RESULTS
Overall, Sp was isolated in 86/367 (23%) of NP cultures and 49% of infants. Serotype 23F was significantly less prevalent in the PCV group (1.9%) than the control group (16.1%) (P<0.05). Analysis of the proportion of children with prevalent carriage or acquisition of carriage did not differ between groups when evaluated by age or serotype. We noted, however, decreased acquisition and carriage in the vaccine group 1 month following the 12 month dose of PCV for vaccine serotypes (76 and 52% reduction, respectively), but this did not reach statistical significance (P=0.3). Adjustment for age, daycare and antibiotic use by multivariate modeling revealed no difference in carriage of vaccine containing serotypes or non-vaccine serotypes between groups.


CONCLUSIONS
We did not show a significant effect of this heptavalent PCV on NP carriage. Further study of this issue, including a larger population size, is needed.
UCLA Center for Vaccine Research, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, 1124 W Carson Street, Liu Research Building, Torrance, CA 90502, USA. syeh@rei.edu
Sylvia H
SH
Yeh
Kenneth M
KM
Zangwill
Hang
H
Lee
Swei-Ju
SJ
Chang
Victor I
VI
Wong
David P
DP
Greenberg
Joel I
JI
Ward
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000069443:Heptavalent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines / Q000592:standards / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000166:cytology / Q000821:virology*; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines / Q000592:standards / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012449:Safety; D012703:Serotyping; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate / Q000592:standards / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D000069443:Heptavalent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine; D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines; D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate