Among 641 pneumococcal isolates recovered from 2002 to 2012 in Japan, 19 (3.0%) were serotype 35B. Twelve of the 19 were ST558 (single-locus variant of Utah35B-24-ST377) and seven were ST2755. Continuous monitoring of serotypes and their clonal association is important, especially in Japan where PCV7 was licensed only in 2010.
Keywords: Pneumococcal vaccine; Serotype replacement; Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.