Sergi Hernández, Fernando Moraga-Llop, Alvaro Díaz, Mariona F. de Sevilla, Pilar Ciruela, Carmen Muñoz-Almagro, Gemma Codina, Magda Campins, Juan José García-García, Cristina Esteva, Conchita Izquierdo, Sebastià González-Peris, Johanna Martínez-Osorio, Sonia Uriona, Luis Salleras, and Ángela Domínguez
Vaccination with the 13-valent conjugated pneumococcal disease (PCV13) has reduced invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), but there have been reports of vaccine failures. We performed a prospective study in children aged 2–59 months who received diagnoses of IPD during January 2012–June 2016 in 3 pediatric hospitals in Catalonia, Spain, a region with a PCV13 vaccination coverage of 63%. We analyzed patients who had been age-appropriately vaccinated but who developed IPD caused by PCV13 serotypes. We detected 24 vaccine failure cases. The serotypes involved were 3 (16 cases); 19A (5 cases); and 1, 6B, and 14 (1 case each). Cases were associated with children without underlying conditions, with complicated pneumonia (OR 6.65, 95% CI 1.91–23.21), and with diagnosis by PCR (OR 5.18, 95% CI 1.84–14.59). Vaccination coverage should be increased to reduce the circulation of vaccine serotypes. Continuous surveillance of cases of IPD using both culture and PCR to characterize vaccine failures is necessary.