Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Nils Block, Pontus Naucler, Philippe Wagner, Eva Morfeldt, Birgitta Henriques-Normark
Summary: This study conducted a 50-year investigation on the epidemiology of bacterial meningitis in Sweden and found that the incidence rate in children decreased while it remained unchanged in adults. The main pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis. The introduction of vaccines led to a decrease in incidence and mortality in previously healthy children, but an increase in immunosuppressed patients. The study highlights the importance of correct diagnosis when treating these infections.
JOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Carlos A. Sanchez, Michelle Lozada-Urbano, Pablo Best-Bandenay
Summary: This study analyzed the impact of conjugated pneumococcal vaccines (PCVs) on pneumonia mortality among young children in Peru. The results showed a decrease in pneumonia mortality rates for children between 1-4 years of age and infants after the introduction of PCVs. There was an inflection point in 2013 for infants, but not for toddlers/preschoolers, suggesting a difference in the impact of PCVs for each age group.
Article
Immunology
Korrie Salsabila, Wisiva Tofriska Paramaiswari, Hafsah Amalia, Akhmad Ruyani, Wisnu Tafroji, Yayah Winarti, Miftahuddin Majid Khoeri, Dodi Safari
Summary: This study investigated the nasopharyngeal carriage rate, serotype distribution, and antibiotic susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae in children under five years of age in South Kalimantan, Indonesia. The results showed that multidrug-resistant S. pneumoniae vaccine type strains were dominated by serotype 19F. Implementing a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine program in Indonesia may reduce the circulation of multidrug-resistant strains in the community in the future.
JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY IMMUNOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Karolina Kielbik, Ewelina Grywalska, Andrzej Glowniak, Grazyna Mielnik-Niedzielska, Izabela Korona-Glowniak
Summary: The genetic mechanisms, resistance patterns, and clonal composition of pneumococcal strains from healthy children in Poland were analyzed. Certain clonal groups were found to be resistant to erythromycin, clindamycin, and tetracycline. Capsular switching was observed in certain clones. The study highlights the role of nasopharyngeal carriage in the spread of drug-resistant pneumococcal clones after vaccination.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Salini Mohanty, Kristen Feemster, Kalvin C. Yu, Janet A. Watts, Vikas Gupta
Summary: This study assessed the trends of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Streptococcus pneumoniae from US children. The results showed that S pneumoniae isolates in US children had persistently high rates of resistance to antibiotics over the last decade, with significant increases in resistance to multiple drug classes and macrolides. Efforts targeting resistant serotypes and antimicrobial stewardship may be needed to address AMR in S pneumoniae.
OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Claire Froneman, Peter Kelleher, Ricardo J. Jose
Summary: Infections with Streptococcus pneumoniae are a common cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially affecting those at the extremes of age and immunocompromised individuals. Preventing pneumococcal disease is crucial in at-risk individuals, and pneumococcal vaccination should be offered to them.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Walmik Karbhari Gaikwad, Swapan K. Jana, Rajeev M. Dhere, Neil Ravenscroft, Kisan M. Kodam
Summary: This study developed a method to remove impurities from Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 2 capsular polysaccharides (CPS) using hydrogen peroxide and endonuclease treatment. The purified CPS was evaluated through various analytical techniques and showed preserved native characteristics under optimal process conditions.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Gabriel Carrasquilla, Alexandra Porras-Ramirez, Sandra Martinez, Rodrigo DeAntonio, Raghavendra Devadiga, Carla Talarico, Diana C. Caceres, Maria M. Castrejon, Patricia Juliao
Summary: After the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) in Colombia, overall reductions in disease outcomes were observed in most cities and nationwide. However, in some cities, there was an increase in the incidence of otitis media despite the decrease in pneumonia incidence.
HUMAN VACCINES & IMMUNOTHERAPEUTICS
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Juanru Wei, Cong Zhang, Wei Ma, Juncheng Ma, Zhenzhen Liu, Fucai Ren, Ning Li
Summary: In this study, the potential antibacterial activities of Thesium chinense Turcz. extracts were tested. The ethyl acetate extract, coded as BY2, showed inhibitory effect on all tested bacteria, while the ethanol extract, coded as BRY, only inhibited Staphylococcus aureus. BY2 had a broader antibacterial spectrum and a better inhibitory effect on S. aureus. Its mechanism of action may be related to inhibition of ribosome synthesis, restriction of key enzymes of the citric acid cycle, decrease of pathogenicity, and influence on biofilm formation.
INFECTION AND DRUG RESISTANCE
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Emma Carter, Fiona McGill
Summary: This article provides an update on the current evidence and guidelines for managing suspected acute meningitis in adults in the UK, highlighting the importance of early investigation and treatment and the need for clinicians to be vigilant in diagnosing meningitis.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Heather Platt, Tosin Omole, Jose Cardona, Neil J. Fraser, Richard A. Mularski, Charles Andrews, Nizar Daboul, Nancy Gallagher, Aditi Sapre, Jianing Li, Adam Polis, Doreen Fernsler, Gretchen Tamms, Weifeng Xu, Rocio Murphy, Julie Skinner, Joseph Joyce, Luwy Musey
Summary: This study evaluated an investigational 21-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (V116) specifically targeting serotypes associated with residual disease burden in adults. The results showed that V116 had a similar safety and immunogenicity profile compared to PPSV23, and was superior to PPSV23 for nine unique serotypes. These findings support the use of V116 for prevention of pneumococcal disease in adults.
LANCET INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Catarina Candeias, Sofia Felix, Sara Handem, Herminia de Lencastre, Raquel Sa-Leao
Summary: In Portugal, the private use of PCV13 from 2010 to 2015 led to serotype replacement and increased antimicrobial susceptibility among pneumococcal strains carried by children. Genotyping of pneumococcal isolates collected from day care centers in two regions of Portugal revealed clonal changes and the emergence of multidrug-resistant lineages expressing non-PCV13 serotypes. This study highlights the significant clonal composition changes triggered by the private use of PCV13 in Portugal.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Brandon Essink, Charu Sabharwal, Kevin Cannon, Robert Frenck, Himal Lal, Xia Xu, Vani Sundaraiyer, Yahong Peng, Lisa Moyer, Michael W. Pride, Ingrid L. Scully, Kathrin U. Jansen, William C. Gruber, Daniel A. Scott, Wendy Watson
Summary: The 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20) has shown to be safe and well tolerated, with immunogenicity comparable to that of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine or 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine. PCV20 is expected to provide expanded protection against pneumococcal disease in adults.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vlad Cozma, Irina Rosca, Luminita Radulescu, Cristian Martu, Valentin Nastasa, Cristian-Dragos Varganici, Elena-Laura Ursu, Florica Doroftei, Mariana Pinteala, Carmen Racles
Summary: New materials were synthesized and characterized based on polysiloxane modified with different ratios of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and crosslinked via UV-assisted thiol-ene addition to resist bacterial adherence and biofilm formation. In vitro testing against S. pneumoniae and in vivo experiments with WISTAR rats were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of these membranes. Physical characterization methods were used to assess the chemical structure and morphological aspects of the materials before and after exposure to the microbiological medium.
Article
Microbiology
Julie-Anne Lemay, Leah J. Ricketson, James D. Kellner
Summary: This study aims to assess if there are fundamental differences in the clinical and demographic features of children who have pneumococcal carriage detected by qPCR compared with culture analysis. The results show that qPCR analysis is more sensitive and cost-effective. Therefore, molecular analysis may be a preferable option for future carriage studies.