To describe the impact of the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on the pediatric burden of pneumococcal infections, carriage, serotype replacement, and antimicrobial resistance in Brazil since ...its introduction in 2010.
A narrative review of English, Spanish, and Portuguese articles published in online databases and in Brazilian epidemiological surveillance databases was performed. The following keywords were used: Streptococcus pneumoniae, pneumococcal disease, conjugate vaccine, PCV10, antimicrobial resistance, and meningitis.
Declines in hospitalization rates of all-cause pneumonia occurred in the target age groups and some age groups not targeted by vaccination early after the use of PCV10. Large descriptive studies of laboratory-confirmed pneumococcal meningitis and hospital-based historical series of hospitalized children with IPD have evidenced a significant impact on disease burden, in-hospital fatality rates, and admission to the intensive care unit before and after the inclusion of the vaccine. Impact data on otitis media is limited and inconsistent; the main benefit remains the prevention of complicated diseases. During the late post-vaccine years, a significant and progressive increase in high-level penicillin non-susceptibility pneumococci has been described. Since 2014 serotype 19A has been the leading serotype in all ages and was responsible for 28.2%–44.6% of all IPD in children under 5 yrs.
PCV10 has performed a significant impact on IPD in Brazil since 2010, however, progress has been continuously hampered by replacement. Broader spectrum PCVs could provide expanded direct and indirect protection against ST19A and other additional serotypes of increasing importance if administered to children in the Brazilian National Immunization Program.
Most of the available data on invasive pneumococcal disease in Latin America are derived from laboratory-based surveillance systems. There is a lack of epidemiological data on the disease severity ...and mortality from hospitalized patients with pneumococcal infection.
In this hospital-based retrospective historical series of hospitalized children with laboratory-confirmed IPD, we evaluated changes in disease episodes, in-hospital fatality rates, and need for intensive care unit admission after the inclusion of PCV10 in the Brazilian vaccination schedule. Invasive pneumococcal strains isolated by culture were serotyped. Changes over time were assessed, and pre-vaccination (2005–2009) to post-vaccination (2011–2015) disease rates and serotypes were compared.
260 patients with IPD and positive pneumococcal isolates were identified (198 during the pre-PCV10 period). When comparing both periods, hospitalizations were reduced from 20 cases to 5 cases per 10,000 pediatric admissions (p < 0.0001). Likewise, fatalities reduced from 6.6 to 2.0 cases per 10,000 pediatric admissions (p < 0.0001). Pneumonia was the most frequent clinical diagnosis (58%) – of which 49.6% had pleural effusion – followed by meningitis (22%) and bacteremia (15.9%). Overall 30% of cases were sent to ICU, with no percentual changes after PCV10. Additional PCV13 serotypes increased from 7% before vaccine introduction to 21% after PCV10 use. Similarly, serotypes not included in PCV13 increased from 11% to 29%.
There was a significant reduction in the hospitalizations rates, ICU admissions, and fatalities due to IPD after PCV10 introduction in Brazil. Cases due to PCV10 serotypes were reduced, while infections rates caused by non-PCV10 serotypes increased.
BACKGROUND:Brazil implemented routine immunization with the human rotavirus vaccine, Rotarix, in 2006 and vaccination coverage reached 81% in 2008 in São Paulo. Our aim was to assess the impact of ...immunization on the incidence of severe rotavirus acute gastroenteritis (AGE).
METHODS:We performed a 5-year (2004–2008) prospective surveillance at a sentinel hospital in São Paulo, with routine testing for rotavirus in all children less than 5 years of age hospitalized with AGE. Genotypes of positive samples were determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.
RESULTS:During the study, 655 children hospitalized with AGE were enrolled; of whom 169 (25.8%) were positive for rotavirus. In the postvaccine period, a 59% reduction in the number of hospitalizations of rotavirus AGE and a 42.2% (95% confidence interval CI, 18.6%–59.0%; P = 0.001) reduction in the proportion of rotavirus-positive results among children younger than 5 years were observed, with the greatest decline among infants (69.2%; 95% CI, 24.7%–87.4%; P = 0.004). Furthermore, the number of all-cause hospitalizations for AGE was reduced by 29% among children aged <5 years. The onset and peak incidences of rotavirus AGE occurred 3 months later in the 2007 and 2008 seasons compared with previous years. Genotype G2 accounted for 15%, 70%, and 100% of all cases identified, respectively, in 2006, 2007, and 2008.
CONCLUSIONS:After vaccine implementation, a marked decline in rotavirus AGE hospitalizations was demonstrated among children younger than 5 years of age, with the greatest reduction in the age groups targeted for vaccination. The predominance of genotype G2P4 highlights the need of continued postlicensure surveillance studies.
BACKGROUND:Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) represents a major cause of hospitalization, especially among young children. In the third world countries, information about CAP etiology is scarce. ...Therefore, rapid and highly sensitive diagnostic methods are crucial to determine etiologic agents.
METHODS:Between March 2016 and March 2017, we have prospectively studied the clinical, radiologic, laboratory, and molecular aspects of patients with CAP at 2 tertiary-level hospitals in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, using a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
RESULTS:A total of 274 children were evaluated, with a median age of 13 months. An etiologic agent was identified in 187 patients (68.2%)54% (n = 148) were viruses and 14.2% (n = 39) were bacteria. CAP prevalence was highest among children under 2 years (71%; 195/274); respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was the most frequent cause in 22% (60/274), especially among infants, followed by influenza (14.5%; 40/274). Streptococcus pneumoniae accounted for 7% of the total (19/274), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (3%;8/274) and Haemophilus influenzae (1.4%;4/274). Together, these cases accounted for 79.5% (31/39) of all bacterial CAP. Pleural effusion (PE) complicated CAP in 13.8% (38/274), of which 29 were of bacterial etiology. RT-PCR increased the detection rate of pneumococcus by 47%. Coinfection occurred in 28 patients (10%); 26 (9.5%) required intensive care and 9 patients (3%) died.
CONCLUSIONS:RT-PCR provided additional diagnostic value to conventional, clinical, and laboratory methods. The higher prevalence of RSV, influenza, and Streptococcus pneumoniae reveals the need for preventive measures with better vaccine uptake and future research for RSV vaccines.
Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is an uncommon manifestation of invasive pneumococcal disease and frequently occurs when an underlying hepatic disease is present. Bacterial identification through ...culture can be particularly challenging in patients with prior or concurrent antimicrobial use. DNA amplification detects very few copies of target DNA under ideal conditions in CSF or pleural effusion and, therefore, can be useful in selected infections. A culture-negative spontaneous pneumococcal peritonitis without preexisting peritoneal disease diagnosed by qPCR is herein described.
Household contacts are important sources of Bordetella pertussis in infants. A total of 353 household contacts of 97 index cases were evaluated for pertussis by culture and polymerase chain reaction. ...Twenty eight contacts were positive (8.0%). The presence of symptoms did not influence the rate of diagnosed bacteriologic pertussis in communicants. We conclude that contacts with an index case can be positive for B. pertussis independently of the presence of symptoms.
Summary Objectives It is well established that respiratory viruses are an important cause of hospitalizations in young children worldwide, but data are limited on the contribution of specific viruses ...to severe illness in South America. We describe clinical and laboratory findings from prospective surveillance for acute respiratory infections at a tertiary hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. Methods We screened children < 2 years old with acute respiratory tract infections admitted to an urban tertiary hospital for respiratory viruses from March 2008 through February 2010, using polymerase chain reaction assays. Results Respiratory viruses were identified in 378 (53%) of the 715 samples analyzed. Respiratory syncytial virus was the most commonly identified virus (52%), followed by adenovirus (27%) and Human metapneumovirus (12%). More than one virus was identified in 19% of specimens. Almost half of the samples (46%) were from children with underlying health conditions. We demonstrated that compared to the previously healthy group, those with comorbidities had a worse outcome in terms of severity, with prolonged hospital stay and more need of intensive care. Conclusion Identification of this high-risk population along with strategies for fast diagnosis might each help to reduce morbidity and mortality in this group.
Hepatopulmonary hydatidosis in young children is a rare and atypical presentation of Echinococcus granulosus infection. We report the first case of cystic echinococcosis caused by a microvariant of ...E. granulosus sensu stricto. Chemotherapy and systemic corticoids were administered before curative surgery was performed. Recurrence was not observed for more than 24 months of follow-up.
Respiratory syncytial virus is a pathogen frequently involved in nosocomial outbreaks. Although several studies have reported nosocomial outbreaks in neonatal intensive care units, molecular ...epidemiology data are scarce. Here, the authors describe two consecutive respiratory syncytial virus outbreaks caused by genotypes ON-1 and NA-2 in a neonatal intensive care unit in São Paulo, Brazil.
A prospective search for respiratory syncytial virus was performed after diagnosing the index case and four other symptomatic newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit. Nasopharyngeal aspirate samples of all patients in the neonatal intensive care unit were tested for 17 respiratory viruses using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Genotyping was performed using nucleotide sequencing.
From May to August 2013, two different outbreaks were detected in the neonatal intensive care unit. A total of 20 infants were infected with respiratory syncytial virus-A (ten and 14 with ON-1 and NA-2 genotypes, respectively). The mean age of the infants was 10 days, mean birth weight was 1,961g, and the mean gestational age was 33 weeks. Risk factors (heart disease, lung disease, and prematurity) were present in 80% and 85.7% of infants in the ON-1 and NA-2 groups, respectively. In total, 45.8% of infants were asymptomatic and 20.8% required mechanical ventilation. Coinfections were not detected during the outbreaks.
Infants in a neonatal intensive care unit who develop abrupt respiratory symptoms should be tested for respiratory viruses, especially respiratory syncytial virus. Even in the absence of severe symptoms, respiratory syncytial virus detection can prevent nosocomial transmission through infection control measures. A better understanding of respiratory syncytial virus molecular epidemiology is essential for developing new vaccines and antiviral drugs against respiratory syncytial virus.
O vírus sincicial respiratório é um patógeno frequentemente envolvido em surtos nosocomiais. Embora vários estudos tenham relatado tais surtos em unidades de terapia intensiva neonatal, os dados epidemiológicos moleculares são escassos. Neste artigo, descrevemos dois surtos consecutivos de vírus sincicial respiratório causados pelos genótipos ON-1 e NA-2 em uma unidade de terapia intensiva neonatal em São Paulo, Brasil.
Uma busca prospectiva por vírus sincicial respiratório foi realizada após o diagnóstico do caso índice e outros quatro recém-nascidos sintomáticos na unidade de terapia intensiva neonatal. Amostras de aspirado nasofaríngeo de todos os pacientes da unidade de terapia intensiva neonatal foram testadas para 17 vírus respiratórios com reação em cadeia da polimerase via transcriptase reversa em tempo real. A genotipagem foi realizada utilizando sequenciamento de nucleotídeos.
De maio a agosto de 2013, foram detectados dois surtos diferentes na unidade de terapia intensiva neonatal. Vinte e quatro crianças foram infectadas com vírus sincicial respiratório-A (10 e 14 com os genótipos ON-1 e NA-2, respectivamente). A média da idade dos lactentes era de 10 dias, o peso médio ao nascer foi de 1961g e a idade gestacional média de 33 semanas. Fatores de risco (doença cardíaca, doença pulmonar e prematuridade) estavam presentes em 80% e 85,7% dos bebês nos grupos ON-1 e NA-2, respectivamente. No total, 45,8% dos lactentes eram assintomáticos e 20,8% necessitaram de ventilação mecânica. Não foram detectadas coinfecções durante os surtos.
Bebês em unidade de terapia intensiva neonatal que desenvolvem sintomas respiratórios abruptos devem ser testados para vírus respiratórios, especialmente o vírus sincicial respiratório. Mesmo na ausência de sintomas graves, a detecção de vírus sincicial respiratório pode prevenir a transmissão nosocomial através de medidas de controle de infecção. Um melhor entendimento da epidemiologia molecular do vírus sincicial respiratório é essencial para o desenvolvimento de novas vacinas e drogas antivirais contra o vírus sincicial respiratório.