Worldwide Index of Serotype-Specific Pneumococcal Antibody Responses (WISSPAR): A curated database of clinical trial data [version 1; peer review: 2 approved]

The Worldwide Index of Serotype Specific Pneumococcal Antibody Responses (WISSPAR; https://wisspar.com), is a centralized, online platform housing data on immunogenicity from clinical trials of pneumococcal vaccines. The data on WISSPAR are primarily curated from outcomes tables from clinical trials and are made available in a searchable format that can be readily used for downstream analyses. The WISSPAR database includes trials covering numerous vaccine products, manufacturers, dosing schedules, age groups, immunocompromised groups, and geographic regions. Customizable data visualization tools are embedded within the site, or the data can be exported for further analyses. Users can also browse summary information about the clinical trials and their results. WISSPAR provides a platform for analysts and policy makers to efficiently gather, compare, and collate clinical trial data about pneumococcal vaccines

Spatial epidemiology of invasive pneumococcal disease isolates from children under six in Germany

The protective effect of infant pneumococcal conjugate vaccine recommendation can be seen in Germany as a whole and in smaller regional groups. Comparisons between population-normalized geographic regions of Germany show different serotype distributions after program implementation, particularly in non-vaccine serotypes. The prior distinct differences in serotype distribution in children between the former East and former West German federal states have vanished. Children under six remain a vulnerable group, but the occurrence of VT IPD in children correctly vaccinated (using a three-dose primary series plus one booster dose) with PCV13 was low. However, less than one in five children in Germany with IPD were correctly vaccinated with PCV13 according to the recommended schedule. For all PCV products used in Germany (PCV7, PCV10, and PCV13), vaccination status was the most common statistically significant predictor of infection with a particular serotype: Unvaccinated children old enough to have received at least one dose of vaccine in the PCV7 group, the PCV10 group, and the PCV13 group had significantly higher odds of contracting VT IPD. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines have had a massive impact on IPD cases in German children, playing a major role in both risk of infection and in serotype distribution. Despite a largely uniform population in terms of overall size, rate of vaccination, and several demographic characteristics, there are regional differences in serotype distribution, especially in non-vaccine serotypes. Continued surveillance and better schedule adherence are essential to definitively establishing the most effective PCV administration schedule, which is particularly important given the recent change to the vaccine administration schedule in Germany and the anticipated arrival of the third-generation pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

Correction: Limited indirect effects of an infant pneumococcal vaccination program in an aging population.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220453.]

Limited indirect effects of an infant pneumococcal vaccination program in an aging population

BackgroundA general recommendation for adult pneumococcal vaccination with 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) for adults 60 and older has been in place in Germany since 1998, but uptake has been low. Just over a decade after the implementation of an infant pneumococcal conjugate vaccine recommendation, we examined indirect protection effects on adult invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in Germany.Methods and findingsReported IPD cases decreased in children under two years of age from 11.09 per 100,000 in 2003-2006 to 5.94 per 100,000 in 2017/18, while in adult age groups, reported IPD cases rose across the board, most dramatically in adults 60 years of age and over, from 1.64 to 10.08 cases per 100,000. PCV13-type IPD represents 31% of all cases in this age group, the lion's share of which is due to the rapid increase of serotype 3 IPD, which, by itself, has reached 2.11 reported cases per 100,000 and makes up 21% of all IPD cases in this age group. The two vaccine formulations currently in development (PCV15 and PCV20) would increase current (PCV13) coverage by 8.5% points and 28.0% points in children, while in adults coverage would increase by 10.4% points and 21.9% points, respectively.ConclusionsWhile original models predicted that indirect effects of childhood vaccination would suffice for adults, it seems that the herd protection effect has reached its limit, with vaccine serotypes 4, 19F, and 19A IPD persisting in adults after initial reductions, and serotype 3 IPD not showing any herd protection effect at all

Invasive Pneumococcal Disease in Refugee Children, Germany

Refugee children in Germany are not routinely given a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Cases of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in 21 refugee children were compared with those in 405 Germany-born children for 3 pneumococcal seasons. Refugee children had significantly higher odds of vaccine-type IPD and multidrug-resistant IPD than did Germany-born children

Epidemiology and distribution of 10 superantigens among invasive Streptococcus pyogenes disease in Germany from 2009 to 2014

A nationwide laboratory-based surveillance study of invasive S. pyogenes infections was conducted in Germany. Invasive isolates (n = 719) were obtained between 2009 and 2014. Most isolates were obtained from blood (92.1%). The proportions of isolates from cerebrospinal fluid, pleural fluid, synovial fluid and peritoneal fluid were 3.9%, 1.8%, 1.7% and 0.6%, respectively. The most common emm types were emm 1 (31.8%), emm 28 (15.4%) and emm 89 (14.5%). The most common superantigen genes (speA, speC, speG, speH, speI, speJ, speK, speL, speM, ssa) identified from S. pyogenes were speG (92.1%), speJ (50.9%), and speC (42.0%). Significant associations of superantigen genes with underlying conditions or risks were observed in speG, speH, speJ, and speK. Significant associations between emm types or superantigen genes with clinical complications were observed in emm type 3 and in superantigen gene speA 1-3. Most frequent clinical manifestations included sepsis 59.4%, STSS 6.3%, meningitis 5.4%, and necrotizing fasciitis 5.0% (significantly associated with emm1)

Regional variations in serotype distribution and vaccination status in children under six years of age with invasive pneumococcal disease in Germany

<div><p>Overview</p><p>The protective effect of infant pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) recommendation can be seen in Germany as a whole and in smaller regional groups. Comparisons between population-normalized geographic regions of Germany show different serotype distributions after program implementation, particularly in non-vaccine serotypes. The prior distinct differences in serotype distribution in children between the former East and former West German federal states have vanished. Children under six remain a vulnerable group, but the occurrence of vaccine-type (VT) invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in children correctly vaccinated (using a three-dose primary series plus one booster dose) with PCV13 was low (9 out of 374 cases, 2.4%). However, only 18.4% of children in Germany with IPD were correctly vaccinated with PCV13 according to the recommended schedule. Continued surveillance and better schedule adherence are essential to definitively establish the most effective PCV administration schedule.</p><p>Vaccination effects</p><p>For all PCV products used in Germany (PCV7, PCV10, and PCV13), vaccination status was the most common statistically significant predictor of infection with a particular serotype: Unvaccinated children old enough to have received at least one dose of vaccine in the PCV7 group had significantly higher odds (OR: 6.84, 95%CI: 2.66–22.06, adjusted for per capita income and residence in the northeastern federal states) of contracting VT IPD. In the PCV10 group, VT IPD had an OR of 4.52 (95% CI: 1.60–15.62, adjusted for year of infection, median household size, and residence in the southern federal states) in unvaccinated children, and in the PCV13 group, unvaccinated children continued to have higher odds (OR: 6.21, 95%CI: 3.45–11.36, adjusted for year of infection, age of child, per capita income, residence in the southern federal states, and percentage of children using public daycare) of getting vaccine-type IPD. Being unvaccinated was the most frequent significant indicator for infection with vaccine-type serotypes for each analysis group, while geographic groupings showed more limited potential to predict serotype of infection in early childhood IPD in Germany.</p></div