Impact of the 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine on Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes and antibiotic susceptibility in children

Objective To examine the impact of the 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine on Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes and antibiotic susceptibility in children to inform the prevention and treatment of S. pneumoniae infections. Methods We analyzed and compared S. pneumoniae serotypes and antibiotic susceptibility between children vaccinated with 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine (vaccinated group) and unvaccinated children (control group). Results We collected 167 S. pneumoniae strains that met the study requirements from 60 children (35.92%) in the vaccinated group and 107 (64.08%) children in the control group. The antibiotic susceptibility test revealed no significant difference in susceptibility to oral penicillin (a β-lactam) or penicillin injection between the two groups. Of the third-generation cephalosporins, susceptibility to ceftriaxone and cefotaxime differed significantly among children with meningitis between the two groups ( P  < 0.05) but not among children without meningitis. In total, 167 strains were susceptible to vancomycin. Neither of the groups were susceptible to erythromycin. Conclusions The majority of the S. pneumoniae serotypes isolated from children in Xiamen were covered by the 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine. The isolated S. pneumoniae strains were highly resistant to erythromycin and tetracycline but remained susceptible to vancomycin. Children vaccinated with the 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine may benefit from parenteral third-generation cephalosporins after developing pneumococcal meningitis.