Importance of vaccination for disease prevention in post-splenectomy patients

A fit middle aged man presented to the emergency department with headache, myalgia, vomiting, fever and rigours. He was hypotensive with mottled peripheries, tachycardic and dyspnoeic. The only significant medical history noted was an emergency splenectomy 30 years previously following a road traffic accident. The patient had been on prophylactic antibiotics initially and was vaccinated in line with recommendations at the time following splenectomy with no significant health issues in the intervening years. The patient was treated empirically for septic shock and meningitis based on presentation and admitted to the intensive care unit for pressor support and subsequently required intubation and ventilation. Investigations revealed bilateral pneumonia. Streptococcal pneumoniae urinary antigen and serum S. pneumoniae PCR were positive supporting a diagnosis of invasive pneumococcal infection. A lumbar puncture was negative for meningitis. Distal mottling affecting all limbs progressed with resultant bilateral upper limb digit and below knee amputation. The patient subsequently required extensive rehabilitation. Following a prolonged tertiary and rehabilitation hospital admission, the patient made an exceptional recovery and was discharged home with ongoing appropriate support and home adaptation.

Improving Pneumococcal Vaccination Rates in Rheumatology Clinics

Rheumatology patients on immunosuppression are at increased risk of invasive pneumococcal disease. There is a multitude of literature highlighting the risk of pneumococcal infection, hospitalization, and even death in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), in whom incidence of invasive pneumococcal infection is 13 times higher than the general population. 1,2,3,4

Profile of Streptococcus pneumoniae Serotypes of Children with Invasive Disease in Tehran, Iran. An Implication for Vaccine Coverage

Objectives: This study aims to define S. pneumoniae serotypes in children hospitalized with an invasive pneumococcal disease from March 20, 2012 to March 10, 2013 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Methods: Specimens from cerebrospinal fluid and blood were collected from children aged one month-18 years with suspected invasive pneumococcal infection admitted to Mofid Children's Hospital and other regional hospitals. Multiplex PCR with 13 groups of primers were used to detect 33 serotypes of S. pneumoniae in positive blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures. Out of 563 samples, 83 S. pneumoniae isolates were identified. Sixty-seven samples were typeable. Results: The results showed that serotypes 3 (21.7%), 23F (13.2%), and 19F (10.8%) were the most prevalent serotypes. Sixteen samples (19.3%) were non-typeable by Multiplex PCR method. The 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine provides the highest coverage (66.23%), followed by the 10-valent vaccine (34.9%) and, lastly, the 7-valent vaccine (33.71%). Conclusions: We found that serotypes 3, 23F, and 19F accounted for almost 46% of invasive pneumococcal isolates. As per relatively high coverage of prevalent serotypes, PCV13 should be considered for routine childhood vaccination programs.

Constrictive pericarditis following necrotising pneumococcal pneumonia in an immunocompetent child

Purulent pericarditis leading to constrictive pericarditis is a rare but serious complication following invasive pneumococcal infection. Early recognition of this complication is crucial to prevent mortality. Here, we report a previously healthy child who developed constrictive pericarditis due to purulent pericarditis following necrotising pneumococcal pneumonia, which is not common in this current antibiotic and pneumococcal vaccine era. The child was successfully treated with pericardiectomy.

The prevalence of circulating S. pneumoniae serotypes in people older than 18 years: healthy carriers, patients with acute otitis media, community-acquired pneumonia, and invasive pneumococcal infections (epidemiological study «SPECTRUM»)

Objective. To estimate the prevalence of S. pneumoniae serotypes in adults aged of 18 years and older, including healthy carriers and patients with acute otitis media (AOM), community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and invasive pneumococcal infection (IPI). Materials and Methods. A total of 230 isolates of S. pneumoniae from 10 centers were included in the study from 01.06.2019 to 01.10.2019. Re-identification and typing using real-time PCR with 22 primer pairs were performed in the central laboratory (Institute of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Russia). Results. In healthy nasopharyngeal carriers (n = 31), the following serotypes of S. pneumoniae were detected: 19F (29.0%), 6А/В (22.6%), 3 (16.1%), 11A/D and 23F (9.7% each), 23A (6.4%), 14 and 15A/F (3.2% each); PCV-13 and PPV-23 covered 80.6% and 90.3% of those serotypes, respectively. In patients with AOM (n = 18), serotypes were: 3 (16.7%), 11A/D and 6A/B (11.1%, each), 16, 19А, 19F, 23F, 7A/F (5.55%, each); PCV-13 and PPV-23 covered 50% and 61.1% of those serotypes, respectively. Among 166 isolates from patients with CAP, the following serotypes were detected: 3 (12.0%), 19F and 6A/B (10.2%, each), 14 and 11A/D (5.4% each), 15A/F and 23A (4.8% each), 9N/L (4.2%), 18 and 22A/F (2.4% each), 19A and 23F (1.8% each), 16, 9V/A (1.2% each), 4 and 33A/33F/37 (0.6% each), non-vaccine serotypes (30.3%); PCV-13 and PPV-23 covered 45.6% and 57.0% of those serotypes, respectively. Isolates from patients with IPI (n=15) belonged to the following serotypes: 3 (26.7%), 12F, 23F and 9N/L (13.3% each), serotypes 4 and 15A/F (6.7%), non-vaccine serotype – 1 isolate (6.7%); PCV-13 and PPV-23 covered 46.7% and 73.3% of those serotypes, respectively. Conclusions. The majority of S. pneumoniae serotypes in adult population in Russia are included in PPV-23, but not in PCV-13 (primarily due to serotype 11A/D). There was a high PCV-13 and PPV-23 coverage of serotypes from healthy nasopharyngeal carriers. PPV-23 covered more than 60% of clinical isolates, whereas PCV-13 covered less than 60% (AOM – 50.0%, CAP – 45.6%, IPI – 46.7%), thus indicating a potentially lower efficacy of PCV-13 in adult population.