Financial Times – February 22, 2006. G8 delegates are scheduled to meet in Paris and are expected to discuss pneumococcal vaccines as a potential candidate for piloting the Advance Market Commitment. AMC is an innovative financial mechanism proposed by Center for Global Development designed to accelerate vaccine research and development for neglected diseases in developing countries. A successful AMC for pneumococcal vaccines has the potential to spearhead successful future public-private approaches to develop and deliver new vaccines to those most in need.

The UK Department of Health is scheduled to announce the introduction of the PCV-7 as part of the first year of life immunization schedule, starting from April 2006. Introduction of this vaccine was delayed in the UK because of cost concerns, however, doctors and campaigners have welcomed its introduction.

The New Zealand Ministry of Health has announced the introduction of a publicly funded Pneumococcal Immunization Program for children at high risk of pneumococcal diseases. Additionally the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine will replace the diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis and Hib (DTaP/Hib) vaccine, currently offered to children at 15 months of age along with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. These changes to the Immunization Schedule will take place starting February 1, 2006 and will be reviewed every two years to enable people to receive safe and more effective vaccines as they become available.

February 22, 2006 – The Confederation of Meningitis Organizations (COMO), a global network of meningitis and children’s health organizations announced the launch of its Web site: www.COMOonline.org. The site provides information on COMO and its local member groups and support services, as well as resources – including communications toolkits. The Meningitis Research Foundation is also a great resource for communicating meningitis to a wide range of audiences: http://www.meningitis.org/

Genetic Determinants of Primary or Opportunistic Infections. A recent study aimed to better elucidate the role of the different capsular and clonal types in invasive disease severity caused by S. pneumoniae. Researchers found that clones with capsular types 1 and 7F, which are known to have a high invasive disease potential, behave as “primary pathogens” by infecting previously healthy individuals, whereas clones with other capsular types with a lower relative risk of causing invasive disease are more opportunistic, primarily affecting patients with underlying disease. Disease caused by the latter group, however, was more severe, even in previously healthy individuals. These findings provide insight into the dynamics and genetic properties of pneumococci that are clinically relevant for invasive disease severity. Sjostrom et al. Clin. Infect. Dis. 2006 Feb; 42: 451-9.

Genetic Structure of Pneumococcal Serotypes Following Vaccination. The extent to which vaccine serotypes will be replaced by non-vaccine types post PCV-7 licensure in the United States was examined by researchers at the Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, Respiratory Diseases Branch of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A recent study estimates the rate of increase of IPD caused by serotype 19A in children less than 5 years of age and have determined the genetic composition of these isolates. This study revealed that serotype 19A is, at present, the most important cause of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) by replacement serotypes, and it is increasingly drug resistant. Researchers were able to identify a predominant clonal complex among type 19A serotypes in children <5 years old. These data suggest that some of the increase in rates of infection with serotype 19A may be due to serotype switching within certain vaccine type strains. The findings describe potentially important clonal relationships within a specific serotype, and emphasize the need for continued monitoring and surveillance of genetic backgrounds in order to fully understand the dynamics of the serotype 19A population. Pai et al. J. Infect. Dis. 2005 Dec; 192: 1988-95.

Serotype Distribution and Role of New Vaccines in New Caledonia. A recent study has identified S. pneumoniae serotypes that are responsible for pneumococcal disease and for penicillin resistance in Noumea, New Caledonia. S. pneumoniae isolates were collected from all body sites along with basic patient demographic data. The most common serotypes were types 1 (20%), 23F (10%), 12F (8%), 19F (8%) and 6B (5%). Ninety four percent of the isolates had serogroups that are included in the 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine, although serotype distribution differed significantly with age, site of collection, and ethnicity. Penicillin resistance was found in 14.4% of the isolates and was associated with certain serotypes. A high percentage of serotypes are included in the 7- and 11- valent conjugate vaccines suggesting that implementation of an infant vaccination schedule with either of these vaccines will likely have a significant impact on the incidence of invasive illness and antibiotic resistance in this population. Michel et al. J. Clin. Microbio. 2005 Dec: 43 (12): 6060-6063.

If you would like to share meeting dates or any other news with PneumoADIP, please contact Benedicta Kim, hekim@jhsph.edu

ISPPD-5
April 2-6, 2006
Alice Springs, Australia
http://www.isppd5.com

9TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON VACCINE RESEARCH
May 8-10, 2006
Baltimore , USA
http://www.nfid.org/conferences/vaccine06