Pneumococcal nasopharyngeal carriage in children following heptavalent
pneumococcal conjugate vaccination in infancy
R Lakshman1, C Murdoch1,
G Race1, R Burkinshaw1, L
Shaw1 and A Finn2
1 Sheffield Institute for Vaccine Studies,
Sheffield Childrens Hospital, Sheffield S10 2TH, UK 2 Institute of Child Health, University of Bristol, Bristol BS2 8AE,
UK
Correspondence to:
Prof. A Finn, Institute of Child Health, Level 6, UBHT Education Centre, Upper
Maudlin St, Bristol BS2 8AE, UK; Adam.Finn@bristol.ac.uk
Aims: To ascertain whether the reduction in nasopharyngeal
carriageof vaccine serotypes induced by pneumococcal conjugate
vaccine(PnCV) administered to infants persists beyond the age of 2years.
Methods: Non-randomised, unblinded controlled study of 25
year old children who had received three doses of heptavalentPnCV
(7VPnCV) in infancy and 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharidevaccine
at 13 months, and unimmunised controls. Nasopharyngealswabs were
taken in summer (150 vaccinated subjects, 126 controls)and winter
(143 vaccinated subjects, 188 controls). The swabswere cultured and
serotyped for Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Results: Carriage rates (vaccinated subjects: 24.7% and 43.4%;controls: 27.0% and 41.0%, in summer and winter respectively)
and carriage of vaccine serotypes (subjects: 10.0% and 30.0%;
controls: 13.5% and 31.5%, in summer and winter respectively)were
similar in the two groups.
Conclusions: Effects of vaccination in infancy on rates of nasalcarriage of pneumococcus and serotype replacement in children
living in a largely unvaccinated population are no longer evidentby
25 years of age.
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