Nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae and other bacteria in the 7th year after implementation of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in the Netherlands
Vaccine·
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.11.060
- PMID
- 26667610
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- W2188056236
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The findings suggest carriage surveillance can assess vaccine effects on circulating pathogens, evaluate pneumococcal conjugate vaccine impact, and predict changes in respiratory and invasive disease. A potential new equilibrium between non-vaccine pneumococcal serotypes and other pathogenic bacteria may be emerging in the post-PCV era.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study examined nasopharyngeal carriage patterns of Streptococcus pneumoniae and other bacteria in Dutch children and parents seven years after PCV7 introduction and following the switch to PCV10.
Study design
Cross-sectional carriage surveillance conducted in winter 2012/2013 using conventional culture to detect nasopharyngeal bacteria in 330 PCV10-vaccinated 11-month-olds, 330 PCV7-vaccinated 24-month-olds, and their parents. Carriage prevalence was compared with prior studies from 2005, 2009, and 2010/2011.
Population and setting
The study enrolled 660 children (330 at 11 months and 330 at 24 months) and their parents in the Netherlands during the 2012/2013 winter season, following implementation of PCV10 in the national immunization program in 2011.
Main findings
Serotype 19A carriage declined significantly in PCV7-vaccinated 24-month-olds (14% to 8%, p=0.01) but remained the most frequent pneumococcal serotype. Haemophilus influenzae carriage remained stable at elevated levels (65% in 11-month-olds, 69% in 24-month-olds). Staphylococcus aureus carriage returned to pre-PCV7 levels in 11-month-olds (14% to 7%) but not in 24-month-olds.
Public-health relevance
The findings suggest carriage surveillance can assess vaccine effects on circulating pathogens, evaluate pneumococcal conjugate vaccine impact, and predict changes in respiratory and invasive disease. A potential new equilibrium between non-vaccine pneumococcal serotypes and other pathogenic bacteria may be emerging in the post-PCV era.
Important limitations
This summary relies on the supplied single-article abstract and metadata. Full interpretation of study limitations, including sampling methods, generalizability beyond the Netherlands, and detection limits of conventional culture, requires review of the complete published paper.
GIDS interpretation
The article is discoverable through classifier links for Haemophilus influenzae disease, Netherlands and United States geographic tags, and surveillance/vaccination topic tags. These links reflect the study's focus on post-vaccine carriage patterns and comparative epidemiology, not a connection to active disease surveillance signals.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 13 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.