Pneumococcal

V116 (Capvaxive; Merck) elicited higher immune responses than the comparator for the serotypes that are unique to the vaccine, according to studies submitted to the FDA.

Serotypes associated with V116 (Merck & Co. Inc.) had higher clinical and economic burden for individuals with invasive pneumococcal disease.

Pediatric patients with rheumatic disease, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, mixed connective tissue disease, juvenile dermatomyositis, and systemic vasculitis are at an increased risk of serious infection.

The prevalence of transmission was higher for those who had contact with children aged less than 5 years and aged 5 to 9 years compared with children aged older than 10.

The vaccine protected against serotypes 19A and 19F, but statistical significance was not reached for serotype 3.

Merck presented results from the STRIDE-10 phase 3 trial at the 34th European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Barcelona, Spain.

Investigators found that younger age groups had significantly longer lengths of stay compared to those older than 75 years.

Investigators also found that the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine 13 protected against nasopharyngeal carriage in children and provided some indirect protection for adults.

Investigators found that older adults, adults with dementia, and adults with altered mental status were more likely to be inappropriately diagnosed with CAP when hospitalized.

New indications include Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream (SAB) infections, acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections, and community-acquired bacterial pneumonia.

However, investigators found that the prevalence of Streptococcus pneumoniae nasopharynx-oropharynx colonization was higher among younger adults.

Positive data were presented at the 13th Meeting of the International Society of Pneumonia and Pneumococcal Disease in Cape Town, South Africa.

When considering community-acquired pneumonia alone, the PCR test identified 113 bacterial detections compared with 57 for the standard of care test.

High bacterial load in cerebrospinal fluid was associated with unfavorable outcomes and death for adults with pneumococcal meningitis.

The pneumococcal vaccine was most likely associated with a higher risk of immunological events for those who were immunocompromised

Furthermore, the study authors indicated that patients with lymphoma and community-acquired pneumonia have broader dysregulated responses.

Investigators also found that those with community-acquired, radiology-confirmed pneumonia with lower respiratory tract infections had worse outcomes.

Investigators determined that the vaccination reduced the prevalence of vaccine serotypes with an effectiveness of 89.6% based on the study results.

Investigators found high incidences of non-susceptibility with penicillin and increasing resistance to macrolides for pneumococcal diseases.

Corticosteroids can reduce the need for mechanical ventilation, incidence of shock, and length of hospital stay, especially for younger patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

The 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine was most likely associated with a higher risk of immunological events for those who were immunocompromised, but the events were low.

Investigators from the University of Liverpool tested the effect of meropenem, an antibiotic used for hospital-acquired pneumonia, to determine how resistance emerges.

Creating a free app to assist in vancomycin dosing proved to be an entertaining and enlightening journey.

Individuals with PCV20-serotype disease were generally younger compared to those who had PCV13 serotype community-acquired pneumonia.

According to the study investigators, findings indicat that pneumococcal vaccination in older adults and other interventions should be considered for reducing the disease burden.

The data also suggest that further studies investigating a plausible causal relationship between pneumonia and type 1 diabetes are needed.

Investigators also found that those with HIV were more likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of cardiac surgery.

Investigators optimized the assay during development and qualification to be used in the clinical setting for pneumococcal conjugate vaccines.

From newsworthy moments to groundbreaking research, these were the most-read pneumococcal-related articles on Pharmacy Times in 2023.

The study included data on ventilator-associated pneumonia and nonventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia, finding lower rates associated with daily toothbrushing.