From the Guidelines
The Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) 13 vaccinates against 13 serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae. The specific serotypes covered by PCV13 are serotypes 1,3,4,5, 6A, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 18C, 19A, 19F, and 23F, as stated in the study published in 2010 1. These serotypes were chosen for inclusion in the vaccine because they are responsible for the majority of invasive pneumococcal infections, including pneumonia, meningitis, and bloodstream infections.
Key Points
- PCV13 contains the seven serotypes included in PCV7 (serotypes 4, 6B, 9V, 14, 18C, 19F, and 23F) and six additional serotypes (serotypes 1,3,5, 6A, 7F, and 19A) 1.
- The vaccine is recommended for routine vaccination of all children aged 2–59 months, and for children aged 60–71 months with underlying medical conditions 1.
- PCV13 works by stimulating the immune system to produce antibodies against the polysaccharide capsules of these bacterial strains, providing protection before potential exposure.
Administration
- The vaccine is typically administered to infants in a series of doses, with a 4-dose series at ages 2,4,6, and 12–15 months 1.
- A single supplemental dose of PCV13 is recommended for all children aged 14–59 months who have received 4 doses of PCV7 or another age-appropriate, complete PCV7 schedule 1.
From the Research
Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) 13 Serotypes
- The Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) 13 vaccinates against 13 serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae 2, 3, 4, 5.
- These 13 serotypes are conjugated individually to non-toxic diphtheria CRM197 protein, providing wider coverage of pneumococcal serotypes than its 7-valent predecessor (PCV7) 3, 4.
- The 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) includes the seven serotypes common to PCV7, five additional serotypes from the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23), and a new serotype not contained in PPSV23 or PCV7 5.
Vaccine Effectiveness
- PCV13 has been shown to be effective in preventing vaccine-type pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), vaccine-type pneumococcal nonbacteraemic (noninvasive) CAP, and vaccine-type invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) 2, 6.
- The vaccine effectiveness of PCV13 against PCV13-serotype invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) has been estimated to be around 61.5% in adults ≥65 years 6.