Genome-wide analysis of Streptococcus pneumoniae serogroup 19 in the decade after the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in Australia

Sci Rep. 2018 Nov 16;8(1):16969. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-35270-1.

Abstract

The decline in invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), following the introduction of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccination (PCV-7), was tempered by emergence of non-vaccine serotypes, particularly 19A. In Australia, three years after PCV-7 was replaced by PCV-13, containing 19A and 19F antigens, serogroup 19 was still a prominent cause of IPD in children under five. In this study we examined the evolution of serogroup 19 before and after introduction of paediatric vaccines in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Genomes of 124 serogroup 19 IPD isolates collected before (2004) and after introduction of PCV-7 (2008) and PCV-13 (2014), from children under five in NSW, were analysed. Eleven core genome sequence clusters (cgSC) and 35 multilocus sequence types (ST) were identified. The majority (78/124) of the isolates belonged to four cgSCs: cgSC7 (ST199), cgSC11 (ST320), cgSC8 (ST63) and cgSC9 (ST2345). ST63 and ST2345 were exclusively serotype 19A and accounted for its predominantly intermediate penicillin resistance; these two clusters first appeared in 2008 and largely disappeared after introduction of PCV-13. Serogroup 19 was responsible for the highest proportion of vaccine failures in NSW. Relatively low immunogenicity of serogroup 19 antigens and Australia's three-dose vaccine schedule could affect the population dynamics of this serogroup.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Child, Preschool
  • Genome, Bacterial / genetics
  • Genome-Wide Association Study
  • Heptavalent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine / administration & dosage
  • Heptavalent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Immunization Schedule
  • Incidence
  • Infant
  • Multilocus Sequence Typing
  • New South Wales / epidemiology
  • Phylogeny
  • Pneumococcal Infections / epidemiology
  • Pneumococcal Infections / immunology*
  • Pneumococcal Infections / prevention & control
  • Pneumococcal Vaccines / administration & dosage
  • Pneumococcal Vaccines / classification
  • Pneumococcal Vaccines / immunology*
  • Serogroup
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae / classification
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae / genetics
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae / immunology*
  • Vaccines, Conjugate / administration & dosage
  • Vaccines, Conjugate / immunology

Substances

  • 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine
  • Heptavalent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine
  • Pneumococcal Vaccines
  • Vaccines, Conjugate