Vaccines to Prevent Pneumococcal Community-Acquired Pneumonia

Abstract

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most frequent pathogen in community-acquired pneumonia and also causes invasive diseases like bacteremia and meningitis. Young children and elderly are especially at risk for pneumococcal diseases and are, therefore, eligible for pneumococcal vaccination in most countries. This reviews provides an overview of the current epidemiology of pneumococcal infections, history and evidence of available pneumococcal polysaccharide and conjugate vaccines, and current recommendations.

Keywords: Community-acquired pneumonia; Invasive pneumococcal disease; Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine; Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine; Pneumococcal vaccines; Streptococcus pneumoniae.