Re-emergence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and increase of serotype 23B after easing of COVID-19 measures, Switzerland, 2021

Emerg Microbes Infect. 2021 Dec;10(1):2202-2204. doi: 10.1080/22221751.2021.2000892.

Abstract

Incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) has been low during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we found that the IPD numbers again increased in Switzerland during the first six months of 2021 and that this coincides with the loosening of COVID-19 measures. Vaccine pneumococcal serotypes have continued to decrease and non-vaccine type serotype 23B has emerged (8% of the isolates in 2021). Worryingly, serotype 23B is associated with reduced susceptibility to penicillin.

Keywords: COVID-19 restrictions; Streptococcus pneumoniae; non-susceptibility to penicillin; pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV); surveillance.

Publication types

  • Letter

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19 / prevention & control*
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial
  • Humans
  • Pneumococcal Infections / epidemiology*
  • Pneumococcal Infections / microbiology
  • Pneumococcal Vaccines / immunology
  • SARS-CoV-2*
  • Serotyping
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae / classification*
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae / drug effects
  • Switzerland / epidemiology

Substances

  • 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine
  • Pneumococcal Vaccines

Grants and funding

The Swiss National Reference Centre for Pneumococci (NZPn) is co-funded by the Federal Office of Public health (FOPH) and the Institute for infectious Diseases, University of Bern.