Emerging Infectious Diseases (Jan 2022)

Streptococcus pneumoniae Serotypes Associated with Death, South Africa, 2012–2018

  • Annelies Müller,
  • Jackie Kleynhans,
  • Linda de Gouveia,
  • Susan Meiring,
  • Cheryl Cohen,
  • Lucy Jane Hathaway,
  • Anne von Gottberg

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2801.210956
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 28, no. 1
pp. 166 – 179

Abstract

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The Streptococcus pneumoniae polysaccharide capsule plays a role in disease severity. We assessed the association of serotype with case-fatality ratio (CFR) in invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and meningitis in South Africa, 2012–2018 (vaccine era), using multivariable logistic regression by manual backward elimination. The most common serotypes causing IPD were 8 and 19A. In patients 15 years of age, serotype 15B/C was associated with increased CFR. Among meningitis patients of all ages, serotype 1 was associated with increased CFR. PCV13 serotypes 1, 3, 6A, 19A, and 19F should be monitored, and serotypes 8, 12F, 15A, and 15B/C should be considered for inclusion in vaccines to reduce deaths caused by S. pneumoniae.

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