Reduction of antimicrobial resistant pneumococci seven years after introduction of pneumococcal vaccine in Iceland

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy of Antimicrobial Chemoprophylaxis for Recurrent Acute Otitis Media in Children

OBJECTIVES

Acute otitis media (AOM) is a common childhood infection. Recurrent AOM affects a subset of children, resulting in an adverse impact on quality of life, socioeconomic disadvantage, and risk of long-term sequelae. Antimicrobial chemoprophylaxis is used in some settings but is increasingly controversial due to an awareness of adverse long-term effects and contribution to global antibiotic resistance.

DESIGN AND SETTING

A comprehensive literature search was undertaken using Medline (1946-October 2023) and Embase (1974-October 2023). The primary aim was to assess the efficacy of antimicrobial chemoprophylaxis on AOM episodes in children < 18 years of age. Bias and quality assessment was performed. Dichotomous data were analysed using risk ratio with 95% confidence intervals. Meta-analysis was carried out using random-effects models for pooled analysis, independent of heterogeneity. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I 2 statistic.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The effect of antimicrobial chemoprophylaxis in children with rAOM on the number of individual AOM episodes.

SECONDARY OUTCOMES

assessment of antimicrobial agents and outcomes in children with risk factors.

RESULTS

Assessment of qualitative data was performed on 20 studies (n = 2210). No controlled trials were identified post-multivalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) introduction, restricting current generalisability. Quantitative meta-analysis on nine pre-PCV studies (n = 1087) demonstrated antimicrobial chemoprophylaxis reduced any episode of AOM with a risk ratio 0.59 (95% CI 0.45-0.77).

CONCLUSION

Families and clinicians must balance marginal short-medium term benefit (based on pre-PCV data), and the potential for adverse effects to that individual, and the societal risk of antimicrobial resistance with prolonged antibiotic use.

Antibiotic resistance monitoring in wastewater in the Nordic countries: A systematic review

The Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) have effectively kept lower antibiotic-resistant bacterial (ARB) pathogen rates than many other countries. However, in recent years, these five countries have encountered a rise in ARB cases and challenges in treating infections due to the growing prevalence of ARB pathogens. Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) is a valuable supplement to clinical methods for ARB surveillance, but there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of WBS application for ARB in the Nordic countries. This review aims to compile the latest state-of-the-art developments in WBS for ARB monitoring in the Nordic countries and compare them with clinical surveillance practices. After reviewing 1480 papers from the primary search, 54 were found relevant, and 15 additional WBS-related papers were included. Among 69 studies analyzed, 42 dedicated clinical epidemiology, while 27 focused on wastewater monitoring. The PRISMA review of the literature revealed that Nordic countries focus on four major WBS objectives of ARB: assessing ARB in the human population, identifying ARB evading wastewater treatment, quantifying removal rates, and evaluating potential ARB evolution during the treatment process. In both clinical and wastewater contexts, the most studied targets were pathogens producing carbapenemase and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL), primarily Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. However, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have received more attention in clinical epidemiology than in wastewater studies, probably due to their lower detection rates in wastewater. Clinical surveillance has mostly used culturing, antibiotic susceptibility testing, and genotyping, but WBS employed PCR-based and metagenomics alongside culture-based techniques. Imported cases resulting from international travel and hospitalization abroad appear to have frequently contributed to the rise in ARB pathogen cases in these countries. The many similarities between the Nordic countries (e.g., knowledge exchange practices, antibiotic usage patterns, and the current ARB landscape) could facilitate collaborative efforts in developing and implementing WBS for ARB in population-level screening.

Chronic medical conditions associated with invasive pneumococcal diseases in inpatients in teaching hospitals in São Paulo city: Estimating antimicrobial susceptibility and serotype-coverage of pneumococcal vaccines

BACKGROUND

Chronic conditions increase the risk of invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPD). Pneumococcal vaccination remarkably reduced IPD morbimortality in vulnerable populations. In Brazil, pneumococcal vaccines are included in the National Immunization Program (PNI): PCV10 for < 2 years-old, and PPV23 for high risk-patients aged ≥ 2 years and institutionalized ≥ 60 years. PCV13 is available in private clinics and recommended in the PNI for individuals with certain underlying conditions.

METHODS

A retrospective study was performed using clinical data from all inpatients from five hospitals with IPD from 2016 to 2018 and the corresponding data on serotype and antimicrobial-non-susceptibility of pneumococcus. Vaccine-serotype-coverage was estimated. Patients were classified according to presence of comorbidities: healthy, without comorbidities; at-risk, included immunocompetent persons with specific medical conditions; high-risk, with immunocompromising conditions and others RESULTS: 406 IPD cases were evaluated. Among 324 cases with information on medical conditions, children < 5 years were mostly healthy (55.9%), while presence of comorbidity prevailed in adults ≥ 18 years old (> 82.0%). Presence of ≥1 risk condition was reported in ≥ 34.8% of adults. High-risk conditions were more frequent than at-risk in all age groups. Among high-risk comorbidity (n = 211), cancer (28%), HIV/AIDS (25.7%) and hematological diseases (24.5%) were the most frequent. Among at-risk conditions (n = 89), asthma (16.5%) and diabetes (8.1%) were the most frequent. Among 404 isolates, 42.9% belonged to five serotypes: 19A (14.1%), 3 (8.7%), 6C (7.7%), 4 and 8 (6.2% each); 19A and 6C expressed antimicrobial-non-susceptibility. The vaccine-serotype-coverage was: PCV10, 19.1%, PCV13, 43.8%; PCV15, 47.8%; PCV20, 62.9%; PCV21, 65.8%, and PPV23, 67.3%. Information on hospital outcome was available for 283 patients, of which 28.6% died. Mortality was 54.2% for those with meningitis.

CONCLUSION

Vaccine with expanded valence of serotypes is necessary to offer broad prevention to IPD. The present data contribute to pneumococcal vaccination public health policies for vulnerable patients, mainly those with comorbidity and the elderly.

Etiology of pediatric lower respiratory tract infections in South Korea

Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are an important cause of death and bacterial pneumonia is one of the most common causes of mortality in South Korea, but there is little data evaluating the epidemiology of pediatric LRTI in primary care clinics. We evaluated 1,497 pediatric LRTI cases in a primary care clinic over a two-year period from 2015 to 16 for clinical and radiological signs combined with PCR for pathogen detection. In addition, a 1,837 vaccine cohort in the clinic from 2014 to 16 was analyzed separately. Fifty-two percent of cases presented with fever and 15% of 1,423 X-rayed cases had positive pneumonia findings with the grade of fever correlating positively with the proportion of cases with positive chest findings. Bacterial identification was possible for 1,376 cases with Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae most common. A higher proportion of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccinated cases had positive pneumonia findings than 10-valent pneumococcal nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV) vaccinated cases, although similar proportions for each PCV had confirmed bacterial infections. PHiD-CV vaccinated cases with positive pneumonia findings had proportionally more single S. pneumoniae infections but less co-infections and less cases with H. influenzae infection. The proportions of confirmed bacterial infections in LRTI cases observed in this pediatric primary care setting in South Korea is very high, with co-infections most common. S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae are the most common as expected but this data also highlights M. pneumoniae as an additional important cause of LRTI in primary pediatric care in Korea.

Increase in Haemophilus influenzae Detection in 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Immunized Children With Acute Otitis Media

NTHi was the predominant pathogen in ear cultures from severe acute otitis media (AOM) episodes in PCV-13 vaccinated children, more commonly in girls. NTHi-AOM episodes were associated with more myringotomies due to a higher treatment failure incidence. The low rate of β-lactamase NTHi isolates in middle ear fluid cultures from PCV-13 vaccinated children presenting with AOM strengthens to still use amoxicillin as the first-line antibiotics.

Invasive Pneumococcal Disease Characterization in Adults and Subgroups aged < 60 years and ≥ 60 years in Bogota, Colombia

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The clinical burden of IPD is high in the elderly and adults with comorbidities

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IPD placed a high burden on healthcare resources in the adult population

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The most common types causing IPD in adults were similar to those found in children

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Policy makers should consider pneumococcal vaccination for populations at risk

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

The potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global antimicrobial and biocide resistance: an AMR Insights global perspective

The COVID-19 pandemic presents a serious public health challenge in all countries. However, repercussions of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections on future global health are still being investigated, including the pandemic's potential effect on the emergence and spread of global antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Critically ill COVID-19 patients may develop severe complications, which may predispose patients to infection with nosocomial bacterial and/or fungal pathogens, requiring the extensive use of antibiotics. However, antibiotics may also be inappropriately used in milder cases of COVID-19 infection. Further, concerns such as increased biocide use, antimicrobial stewardship/infection control, AMR awareness, the need for diagnostics (including rapid and point-of-care diagnostics) and the usefulness of vaccination could all be components shaping the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this publication, the authors present a brief overview of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated issues that could influence the pandemic's effect on global AMR.

Dynamics of antimicrobial resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae following PCV10 introduction in Brazil: Nationwide surveillance from 2007 to 2019

BACKGROUND

Brazil introduced 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) into its immunization program in 2010. We assessed antimicrobial susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) obtained from a national surveillance system for invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPD) before/after PCV10 introduction.

METHODS

Antimicrobial non-susceptible isolates were defined as intermediate or resistant. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) to penicillin and ceftriaxone were analyzed by year. Antimicrobial susceptibility rates were assessed for each three-year-period using the pre-PCV10-period as reference. Susceptibility of vaccine-types was evaluated for 2017-2019.

RESULTS

11,380 isolates were studied. Spn with penicillin ≥ 0.125 mg/L and ceftriaxone ≥ 1.0 mg/L decreased in the three-years after PCV10 introduction (2011-2013: penicillin, 28.1-22.5%; ceftriaxone, 11.3%-7.6%) versus pre-PCV10-years (2007-2009: penicillin, 33.8-38.1%; ceftriaxone, 17.2%-15.6%). After 2013, the proportion of Spn with those MICs to penicillin and ceftriaxone increased to 39.4% and 19.7% in 2019, respectively. Non-susceptibility to penicillin and ceftriaxone increased in 2014-2016, and again in 2017-2019 especially among children < 5 years with meningitis (penicillin, 53.9%; ceftriaxone, 28.0%); multidrug-resistance reached 25% in 2017-2019. Serotypes 19A, 6C and 23A were most associated with antimicrobial non-susceptibility.

CONCLUSIONS

Antimicrobial non-susceptible Spn decreased in the three-years after vaccination but subsequently increased and was associated with non-PCV10-types. Antimicrobial susceptibility surveillance is fundamental for guiding antibiotic therapy policies.

Impact of Pneumococcal Vaccination in the Nasopharyngeal Carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae in Healthy Children of the Murcia Region in Spain

Background: An epidemiological study of Streptococcus pneumoniae nasopharyngeal carriage in healthy children was carried out five years after the introduction of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13). Objectives: Study the impact of pediatric vaccination with PCV13, and other associated epidemiological factors on the status of nasopharyngeal carriage, the circulating pneumococcal serotypes, and the antibiotic susceptibility to more frequently used antibiotics. Methods: A multi-center study was carried out in Primary Health Care, which included 1821 healthy children aged 1 to 4 years old. All isolates were sent to the Spanish Pneumococcal Reference Laboratory for serotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Results: At least one dose of PCV13 had been received by 71.9% of children and carriage pneumococcal prevalence was 19.7%. The proportion of PCV13 serotypes was low (14.4%), with an observed predominance of non-vaccine serotypes, 23B, 11A, 10A, 35B/F, and 23A were the five most frequent. A high rate of resistance to penicillin, erythromycin, and trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole was found. Conclusions: A low proportion of PCV13 serotypes were detected, confirming the impact of pediatric vaccination for reducing the serotypes vaccine carriage. High resistance rates to clinically important antibiotics were observed.