Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, sold under the brand name Pneumovax 23, is a pneumococcal vaccine that is used for the prevention of pneumococcal disease caused by the 23 serotypes of ''Streptococcus pneumoniae'' contained in the vaccine as capsular polysaccharides. It is given by intramuscular or subcutaneous injection. The polysaccharide antigens were used to induce type-specific

antibodies An antibody (Ab) or immunoglobulin (Ig) is a large, Y-shaped protein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily which is used by the immune system to identify and neutralize antigens such as bacteria and viruses, including those that caus ...

that enhanced

opsonization Opsonins are extracellular proteins that, when bound to substances or cells, induce phagocytes to phagocytose the substances or cells with the opsonins bound. Thus, opsonins act as tags to label things in the body that should be phagocytosed (i.e. ...

phagocytosis Phagocytosis () is the process by which a cell (biology), cell uses its plasma membrane to engulf a large particle (≥ 0.5 μm), giving rise to an internal compartment called the phagosome. It is one type of endocytosis. A cell that performs ph ...

, and killing of ''

Streptococcus pneumoniae ''Streptococcus pneumoniae'', or pneumococcus, is a Gram-positive, spherical bacteria, hemolysis (microbiology), alpha-hemolytic member of the genus ''Streptococcus''. ''S. pneumoniae'' cells are usually found in pairs (diplococci) and do not f ...

'' (pneumococcal) bacteria by phagocytic immune cells. The pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine is widely used in high-risk adults. First used in 1945, the tetravalent vaccine was not widely distributed, since its deployment coincided with the discovery of

penicillin Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of beta-lactam antibiotic, β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' Mold (fungus), moulds, principally ''Penicillium chrysogenum, P. chrysogenum'' and ''Penicillium rubens, P. ru ...

. In the 1970s, Robert Austrian championed the manufacture and distribution of a 14-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine. This evolved in 1983 to a 23-valent formulation (PPSV23). A significant breakthrough affecting the burden of pneumococcal disease was the licensing of a protein conjugate heptavalent vaccine (PCV7) beginning in February 2000.

Medical uses

In the United States, pneumococcal vaccine, polyvalent is indicated for active immunization for the prevention of pneumococcal disease caused by the 23 serotypes contained in the vaccine (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6B, 7F, 8, 9N, 9V, 10A, 11A, 12F, 14, 15B, 17F, 18C, 19F, 19A, 20, 22F, 23F, and 33F). It is approved for use in people 50 years of age or older and people aged two years of age or older who are at increased risk for pneumococcal disease. The

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

(WHO) recommendations are similar. The WHO does not recommend use of pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in routine childhood immunization programs. The recommendations in the UK are similar, but include people with occupational hazards. Pneumococcal vaccine may be beneficial to control exacerbations of

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. GOLD defines COPD as a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory s ...

(COPD). The pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine is important for those with

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

. In Canadian patients infected with

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

, the vaccine has been reported to decrease the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease from 768 per 100,000 person–years to 244 per 100,000 patient–years. Because of the low level of evidence for benefit, 2008 WHO guidelines do not recommend routine immunization with PPV-23 for HIV patients, and suggests preventing pneumococcal disease indirectly with trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole chemoprophylaxis and

antiretrovirals The management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs as a strategy to control HIV infection. There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the HIV life-cycle. The use of mul ...

. While the U.S.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the National public health institutes, national public health agency of the United States. It is a Federal agencies of the United States, United States federal agency under the United S ...

(CDC) recommends immunization in all patients infected with HIV.

Adverse events

The most common adverse reactions (reported in more than 10% of subjects vaccinated with pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in clinical trials) were: pain, soreness or tenderness at the site of injection (60.0%), injection-site swelling or temporary thickening or hardening of the skin (20.3%), headache (17.6%), injection-site redness (16.4%),

weakness Weakness is a symptom of many different medical conditions. The causes are many and can be divided into conditions that have true or perceived muscle weakness. True muscle weakness is a primary symptom of a variety of skeletal muscle diseases, ...

and fatigue (13.2%), and

muscle pain Myalgia or muscle pain is a painful sensation evolving from muscle tissue. It is a symptom of many diseases. The most common cause of acute myalgia is the overuse of a muscle or group of muscles; another likely cause is viral infection, espec ...

(11.9%).

Vaccination schedule

Adults and children over two years of age

The 23-valent vaccine (for example, Pneumovax 23) is effective against 23 different pneumococcal capsular types (

serotype A serotype or serovar is a distinct variation within a species of bacteria or virus or among immune cells of different individuals. These microorganisms, viruses, or Cell (biology), cells are classified together based on their shared reactivity ...

s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6B, 7F, 8, 9N, 9V, 10A, 11A, 12F, 14, 15B, 17F, 18C, 19A, 19F, 20, 22F, 23F, and 33F), and so covers 90 percent of the types found in pneumococcal bloodstream infections.

Young children

Children under the age of two years fail to mount an adequate response to the 23-valent adult vaccine, and instead a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugated vaccine (PCV13; for example, Prevnar 13) is used instead. PCV13 replaced PCV7, adding six new serotypes to the vaccine. While this covers only thirteen strains out of more than ninety strains, these thirteen strains caused 80–90 percent of cases of severe pneumococcal disease in the U.S. before introduction of the vaccine, and it is considered to be nearly 100 percent effective against these strains.Childhood Pneumococcal Disease
– information on the disease and the Prevnar vaccine, from the Victoria State (Australia) government. ;Special risk-groups:Children at special risk (e.g.,

sickle cell disease Sickle cell disease (SCD), also simply called sickle cell, is a group of inherited Hemoglobinopathy, haemoglobin-related blood disorders. The most common type is known as sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia results in an abnormality in the ...

and those without a functioning spleen) require additional protection using the PCV13, with the more extensive PPSV-23 given after the second year of life or two months after the PCV13 dose:

References

External links

Pneumococcal Disease

(WHO) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine Vaccines