Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ryan Robinson, Christopher A. Myerscough, Nengjie He, Helen Hill, Wendi Shepherd, Patricia Gonzalez-Dias, Konstantinos Liatsikos, Samuel Latham, Fred Fyles, Klara Doherty, Phoebe Hazenberg, Fathimath Shiham, Daniella Mclenghan, Hugh Adler, Vicki Randles, Seher Zaidi, Angela Hyder-Wright, Elena Mitsi, Hassan Burhan, Ben B. Morton, Jamie M. Rylance, Maia M. Lesosky, Stephen Gordon, Andrea Collins, Daniela Ferreira
Summary: Experimental Human Pneumococcal Challenge (EHPC) is a safe procedure for studying vaccine research, with no serious adverse events related to pneumococcal inoculation. Colonised individuals were more likely to experience safety events, but most symptoms were mild and could be managed conservatively. Outpatient human pneumococcal challenge can be conducted safely with appropriate safety monitoring procedures in place.
Article
Immunology
Santiago Alfayate Miguelez, Genoveva Yague Guirao, Ana I. Menasalvas Ruiz, Manuel Sanchez-Solis, Mirian Domenech Lucas, Fernando Gonzalez Camacho, M. Mar Ortiz Romero, Pilar Espejo Garcia, Carmen Guerrero Gomez, Antonio Iofrio de Arce, Laura Moreno Parrado, Rosa M. Sanchez Andrada, Eva Cascales Alcolea, Sebastian Lorente Garcia, Pedro Paredes Reyes, Angela Casquet Barcelo, M. Luisa Lopez Yepes, Juan Jose Vigueras Abellan, Gonzalo Sanz Mateo
Summary: The study found that PCV13 vaccine played a significant role in reducing carriage of vaccine serotypes, but non-vaccine serotypes were more common, and high resistance rates to certain antibiotics were observed.
Article
Immunology
Leore Kotler, David Greenberg, Noga Givon-Lavi, Bart Adriaan van der Beek, Ron Dagan, Shalom Ben-Shimol
Summary: The study evaluated the impact of PCV on pneumococcal carriage rates in healthy and sick children aged 6-23 months, showing a decrease in carriage rates in respiratory diseases but not in healthy children and those without respiratory infections. This suggests a reduction in respiratory infections caused by VT with a stable rate of non-VT in non-respiratory cases.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Muhammad Imran Nisar, Fyezah Jehan, Shahira Shahid, Sheraz Ahmed, Sadia Shakoor, Furqan Kabir, Aneeta Hotwani, Sahrish Muneer, Farah Khalid, Sajid Muhammad, Benjamin M. Althouse, Hao Hu, Cynthia G. Whitney, Asad Ali, Anita K. M. Zaidi, Saad B. Omer, Najeeha Iqbal
Summary: Pakistan introduced the PCV10 vaccine in 2013 and conducted a study on infants from 2014-2018. The study showed a significant decrease in carriage of vaccine-related serotypes and an increase in non-vaccine related serotypes. This highlights the need for continuous monitoring and evaluation of existing vaccine formulations.
Review
Immunology
Ninecia R. Scott, Beth Mann, Elaine I. Tuomanen, Carlos J. Orihuela
Summary: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a dangerous bacterial pathogen that causes serious diseases, and although current vaccines have limitations in controlling it completely, it is necessary to improve vaccine strategies to enhance protection.
Article
Immunology
Adnan Al-Lahham
Summary: Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage rate is high in infants, especially starting from the first month of life. Main serotypes include 19F, 6A, 11A, etc. High coverage rates were observed for PCV13 and PCV20, with PCV20 having the highest coverage rate.
Article
Immunology
Louise K. Francois Watkins, Jennifer L. Milucky, Lesley McGee, Florence Sine St-Surin, Pengbo Liu, Theresa Tran, Sopio Chochua, Gerard Joseph, Nong Shang, Stanley Juin, Patrick Dely, Roopal Patel, Chris A. Van Beneden
Summary: In Port-au-Prince, Haiti, approximately a quarter of healthy children were colonized with vaccine-type pneumococcal serotypes, indicating potential impact of PCV13 introduction nationwide in reducing pneumococcal carriage.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Adnan Al-Lahham, Nashat Khanfar, Noor Albataina, Rana Al Shwayat, Rawsan Altwal, Talal Abulfeilat, Ghaith Alawneh, Mohammad Khurd, Abdelsalam Alqadi Altamimi
Summary: The study revealed higher carriage rate and resistance rates for pneumococcal in Eastern Madaba compared to Amman, with predominant serotypes being 19F. Additionally, coverage of PCV vaccines was higher in Eastern Madaba compared to Amman.
Article
Immunology
Kristina L. Bajema, Ryan Gierke, Monica M. Farley, William Schaffner, Ann Thomas, Arthur L. Reingold, Lee H. Harrison, Ruth Lynfield, Kari E. Burzlaff, Susan Petit, Meghan Barnes, Salina Torres, Paula M. Snippes Vagnone, Bernard Beall, Tamara Pilishvili
Summary: The incidence of antibiotic-nonsusceptible invasive pneumococcal disease (NS-IPD) has decreased in the United States after the introduction of 7- and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs). However, there has been an increase in nonvaccine type NS-IPD, particularly among older adults. The use of higher valency PCVs containing the common nonsusceptible serotypes could help further reduce NS-IPD.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Chien-Chia Huang, Tzu-Hao Chang, Cheng-Yang Lee, Pei-Wen Wu, Chyi-Liang Chen, Ta-Jen Lee, Ming-Li Liou, Cheng-Hsun Chiu
Summary: Microbial colonization in the nasopharynx is crucial for the onset of infectious diseases. Understanding the microbiome diversity and richness at the site of pathogen colonization is essential. Streptococcus pneumoniae significantly impacts the microbial communities in the nasopharyngeal adenoids, as shown through bacterial community analysis using 16S rRNA pyrosequencing.
MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Leigh M. Howard, Xiang Huang, Wencong Chen, Yuhan Liu, Kathryn M. Edwards, Marie R. Griffin, Yuwei Zhu, Jorge E. Vidal, Keith P. Klugman, Ana I. Gil, Nicole R. Soper, Isaac P. Thomsen, Katherine Gould, Jason Hinds, Claudio F. Lanata, Carlos G. Grijalva
Summary: We investigated the association between nasopharyngeal pneumococcal co-colonization and pneumococcal density in young Peruvian children. Pneumococcal co-colonization was common but not associated with increased pneumococcal density.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Sha Li, Hangeri Liang, Shui-Hao Zhao, Xiao-Yan Yang, Zhong Guo
Summary: This review provides an overview of the advancements made in the development of protein-based pneumococcal vaccines. The key protein vaccine candidates and their vaccination results in animal studies are discussed, as well as the challenges and future directions in protein-based pneumococcal vaccine.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yasser Helmy Mohamed, Michiko Toizumi, Masafumi Uematsu, Hien-Anh Thi Nguyen, Lien Thuy Le, Mizuki Takegata, Chihiro Iwasaki, Noriko Kitamura, Monica L. Nation, Eileen M. Dunne, Jason Hinds, Hung Thai Do, Mai Quang Vien, Catherine Satzke, Stefan Flasche, Kim Mulholland, Duc-Anh Dang, Takashi Kitaoka, Lay-Myint Yoshida
Summary: The prevalence and association of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the nasopharynx and conjunctiva among children in a community were investigated. Non-encapsulated S. pneumoniae were most commonly identified in the conjunctiva, with a high concordance of serotypes between the nasopharynx and conjunctiva. Low birthweight, day-care attendance, and recent eye symptoms were independently associated with S. pneumoniae detection in the conjunctiva.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Naor Bar-Zeev, Todd D. Swarthout, Dean B. Everett, Maaike Alaerts, Jacquline Msefula, Comfort Brown, Sithembile Bilima, Jane Mallewa, Carina King, Anne von Gottberg, Jennifer R. Verani, Cynthia G. Whitney, Charles Mwansambo, Stephen B. Gordon, Nigel A. Cunliffe, Neil French, Robert S. Heyderman
Summary: The introduction of the PCV13 vaccine in Malawi had a significant impact on vaccine-eligible-age children, but the indirect effects on unvaccinated infants and adults were not significant. Although the incidence of non-vaccine serotype invasive pneumococcal disease has increased since 2015, the observed incidence remains low.
LANCET GLOBAL HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Sophie Belman, Sona Soeng, Chansovannara Soputhy, Rebecca Gladstone, Paulina A. Hawkins, Robert F. Breiman, Lesley McGee, Stephen D. Bentley, Stephanie W. Lo, Paul Turner
Summary: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of childhood mortality globally and in Cambodia. Monitoring genetic shifts and antimicrobial-resistance patterns is crucial for assessing the impact of vaccination campaigns.
MICROBIAL GENOMICS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Wouter A. A. de Steenhuijsen Piters, Rebecca L. Watson, Emma M. de Koff, Raiza Hasrat, Kayleigh Arp, Mei Ling J. N. Chu, Pieter C. M. de Groot, Marlies A. van Houten, Elisabeth A. M. Sanders, Debby Bogaert
Summary: The development of the respiratory microbial community in early life is important for susceptibility to respiratory tract infections. This study found that early-life viral encounters can impact subsequent host-microbe cross-talk, leading to changes in respiratory microbiota and increased susceptibility to clinical respiratory tract infections.
NATURE MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Orchid M. Allicock, Mary E. Petrone, Devyn Yolda-Carr, Mallery Breban, Hannah Walsh, Anne E. Watkins, Jessica E. Rothman, Shelli F. Farhadian, Nathan D. Grubaugh, Anne L. Wyllie
Summary: This study demonstrates inexpensive, generic, buffer-free collection devices suitable for unsupervised and home saliva self-collection, and the collected saliva samples show acceptable quantity and quality for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing.
BMC INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Review
Oncology
Lili Yu, Gang Zhao, Lijuan Wang, Xuan Zhou, Jing Sun, Xinxuan Li, Yingshuang Zhu, Yazhou He, Kleovoulos Kofonikolas, Debby Bogaert, Malcolm Dunlop, Yimin Zhu, Evropi Theodoratou, Xue Li
Summary: This review examined the association between microbial markers and colorectal neoplasia, and evaluated the predictive performance of prediction models. The findings revealed that several microbial species were consistently associated with colorectal neoplasia, and the prediction models showed promising discrimination. However, most studies had limitations in sample size and lack of independent external validation.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Manik Kuchroo, Jessie Huang, Patrick Wong, Jean-Christophe Grenier, Dennis Shung, Alexander Tong, Carolina Lucas, Jon Klein, Daniel B. Burkhardt, Scott Gigante, Abhinav Godavarthi, Bastian Rieck, Benjamin Israelow, Michael Simonov, Tianyang Mao, Ji Eun Oh, Julio Silva, Takehiro Takahashi, Camila D. Odio, Arnau Casanovas-Massana, Shelli Farhadian, Charles S. Dela Cruz, Albert I. Ko, Matthew J. Hirn, F. Perry Wilson, Julie G. Hussin, Guy Wolf, Akiko Iwasaki, Smita Krishnaswamy
Summary: In this study, a visualization algorithm called Multiscale PHATE is used to detect disease signatures in high-dimensional biomedical data. The algorithm can analyze data at different levels of granularity and learn abstracted biological features that are predictive of disease outcome. Application of Multiscale PHATE to a COVID-19 dataset identified specific cellular responses associated with disease outcome and demonstrated improved prediction accuracy compared to naive featurization methods.
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Anna M. Parker, Nicole Jackson, Shevya Awasthi, Hanna Kim, Tess Alwan, Anne L. Wyllie, Alisha B. Baldwin, Nicole B. Brennick, Erica A. Moehle, Petros Giannikopoulos, Katherine Kogut, Nina Holland, Ana Mora-Wyrobek, Brenda Eskenazi, Lee W. Riley, Joseph A. Lewnard
Summary: In an adult ambulatory and community sample, SARS-CoV-2 infection was more prevalent among pneumococcal carriers than non-carriers, especially among adults reporting acute symptoms and receiving SARS-CoV-2 testing in a clinical setting.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Erica J. Rayack, Hibah Mahwish Askari, Elissa Zirinsky, Sarah Lapidus, Hassan Sheikha, Chikondi Peno, Yasaman Kazemi, Devyn Yolda-Carr, Chen Liu, Nathan D. Grubaugh, Albert I. Ko, Anne L. Wyllie, Erica S. Spatz, Carlos R. Oliveira, Amy K. Bei
Summary: In the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, a PCR-based COVID-19 surveillance program was established in childcare facilities to collect actionable public health data and aid in the resumption of standard operations. This study describes the development of a saliva testing program for children and childcare center staff, providing a feasible method of asymptomatic screening and symptomatic testing. The study emphasizes the importance of cooperation between childcare centers, parents/guardians, and staff to mitigate COVID-19 transmission.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Orchid M. Allicock, Devyn Yolda-Carr, John A. Todd, Anne L. Wyllie
Summary: The key to limiting the spread of SARS-CoV-2 is to identify infected individuals and isolate them. Weekly testing for SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic individuals is critical in situations where many people gather. However, there are operational issues that hinder such testing. To address this, a low-cost SalivaDirect RT-qPCR assay using self-collected saliva was developed. Multiple extraction-free pooled saliva testing workflows were explored, and a pool size of five with or without heat inactivation before testing showed high agreement with individual testing. Applying this pooled testing strategy to previously positive saliva specimens would have detected all samples. This approach can reduce testing costs and turnaround time while maintaining testing accuracy.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Willem R. Miellet, Sonia T. Almeida, Krzysztof Trzcinski, Raquel Sa-Leao
Summary: Streptococcus pneumoniae causes significant morbidity and mortality among older adults. The low sensitivity of culture-based approaches and nasopharyngeal samples has hindered adult S. pneumoniae carriage studies in the past. However, qPCR-based approaches and testing of oral samples can improve the accuracy of adult carriage detection.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Willem R. Miellet, Janieke van Veldhuizen, David Litt, Rob Mariman, Alienke J. Wijmenga-Monsuur, Tessa Nieuwenhuijsen, Jennifer Christopher, Rebecca Thombre, Seyi Eletu, Thijs Bosch, Nynke Y. Rots, Marianne Alice van Houten, Elizabeth Miller, Norman K. Fry, Elisabeth A. M. Sanders, Krzysztof Trzcinski
Summary: A study found that qPCR-based detection of pneumococcus in saliva samples increases the sensitivity and specificity, which is important for surveillance and vaccine studies.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Anne L. Wyllie, Sidiya Mbodj, Darani A. Thammavongsa, Maikel S. Hislop, Devyn Yolda-Carr, Pari Waghela, Maura Nakahata, Anne E. Stahlfeld, Noel J. Vega, Anna York, Orchid M. Allicock, Geisa Wilkins, Andrea Ouyang, Laura Siqueiros, Yvette Strong, Kelly Anastasio, Ronika Alexander-Parrish, Adriano Arguedas, Bradford D. Gessner, Daniel M. Weinberger
Summary: The reported rates of invasive pneumococcal disease were significantly lower than usual during the 2020/2021 winter following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is limited understanding of pneumococcus carriage rates among adults during this period.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Maikel S. S. Hislop, Orchid M. M. Allicock, Darani A. A. Thammavongsa, Sidiya Mbodj, Allison Nelson, Albert C. C. Shaw, Daniel M. M. Weinberger, Anne L. L. Wyllie
Summary: Testing saliva samples with quantitative PCR (qPCR) improves the sensitivity of detection of pneumococcal carriage, however, concerns have been raised regarding the specificity of this approach. The widely used lytA qPCR assay may generate false positive results and nonpneumococcal Streptococcus species are responsible for this signal. It is important to test for the presence of multiple gene targets for reliable and specific detection of pneumococcus in respiratory tract samples.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Iris Kristinsdottir, Linda J. Visser, Willem R. Miellet, Rob Mariman, Gerlinde Pluister, Gunnsteinn Haraldsson, Asgeir Haraldsson, Krzysztof Trzcinski, Valtyr Thors
Summary: This study aimed to determine the prevalence, duration of carriage, and genogroup distribution of meningococcal colonization in Iceland. The results showed that pathogenic meningococci carriage is rare among young Icelanders, with non-groupable meningococci being the most common colonizing strain. Whole genome sequencing revealed the possibility of prolonged carriage of the same strains in persistent carriers.
Article
Immunology
Willem R. Miellet, Gerlinde Pluister, Meike Sikking, Marcia Tappel, Jurgen Karczewski, Linda J. Visser, Thijs Bosch, Krzysztof Trzcinski, Rob Mariman
Summary: We used molecular methods to assess the impact of menACWY vaccine implementation on meningococcal carriage and genogroup-specific prevalence in young adults in the Netherlands. The overall carriage rate of genogroupable meningococci was not significantly different compared to a pre-menACWY cohort. Of the carriers, almost all were positive for vaccine types or non-targeted genogroups. While there was a reduction in vaccine-type carriage rates, there was an increase in non-vaccine type menE prevalence, suggesting the implementation of the menACWY vaccine affected carriage.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Anna York, Emily Huynh, Sidiya Mbodj, Devyn Yolda-Carr, Maikel S. Hislop, Haley Echlin, Jason W. Rosch, Daniel M. Weinberger, Anne L. Wyllie
Summary: A method was developed to separate mixed pneumococcal samples using serotype-specific antiserum and a magnetic bead-based separation method, which can enrich specific serotypes. This method has applications in extracting known pneumococcal serotypes from saliva samples and purifying capsule switch variants from experimental transformation experiments. It may have further laboratory or clinical applications when specific serotypes need to be selected.
CELL REPORTS METHODS
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Roy P. Zuurbier, Debby Bogaert, Wouter A. A. de Steenhuijsen Piters, Kayleigh Arp, Mei Ling J. N. Chu, Elisabeth A. M. Sanders, Marlies A. van Houten
Summary: Respiratory tract infections in infants are often caused by viruses. A study found that while the presence of rhinovirus in early life is negatively associated with acute respiratory tract infections, it is associated with increased susceptibility to and recurrence of respiratory tract infections later in life.
PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASE JOURNAL
(2023)
