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Vaccine ineffective against new strains of bacteria

Infection Control Monitor, April 27, 2007

A new vaccine has been effective in all but eradicating common causes of pneumonia, meningitis, and ear infections in children. But researchers have found that new strains of bacteria not covered by the vaccine have emerged.

Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have noted an increase in the rates of bacterial infections not covered by the heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine or PCV7 among native children in Alaska. Researchers said with routine childhood vaccination, one concern has been the potential for emergence and expansion of replacement disease. The study is reported in the April 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers found that in the three years after the introduction of the Prevnar vaccine in 2000, these diseases fell by 67% among native Alaskan children younger than age 2. However, since 2004, diseases caused by strains of bacteria not covered by the vaccine have risen by 140% compared with the prevaccine period.

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