skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Global, regional, and national estimates of the impact of a maternal Klebsiella pneumoniae vaccine: A Bayesian modeling analysis
BackgroundDespite significant global progress in reducing neonatal mortality, bacterial sepsis remains a major cause of neonatal deaths.Klebsiella pneumoniae(K.pneumoniae) is the leading pathogen globally underlying cases of neonatal sepsis and is frequently resistant to antibiotic treatment regimens recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), including first-line therapy with ampicillin and gentamicin, second-line therapy with amikacin and ceftazidime, and meropenem. Maternal vaccination to prevent neonatal infection could reduce the burden ofK.pneumoniaeneonatal sepsis in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), but the potential impact of vaccination remains poorly quantified. We estimated the potential impact of such vaccination on cases and deaths ofK.pneumoniaeneonatal sepsis and project the global effects of routine immunization of pregnant women with theK.pneumoniaevaccine as antimicrobial resistance (AMR) increases. Methods and findingsWe developed a Bayesian mixture-modeling framework to estimate the effects of a hypotheticalK.pneumoniaematernal vaccine with 70% efficacy administered with coverage equivalent to that of the maternal tetanus vaccine on neonatal sepsis infections and mortality. To parameterize our model, we used data from 3 global studies of neonatal sepsis and/or mortality—with 2,330 neonates who died with sepsis surveilled from 2016 to 2020 undertaken in 18 mainly LMICs across all WHO regions (Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda, Brazil, Italy, Greece, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Thailand, China, and Vietnam). Within these studies, 26.95% of fatal neonatal sepsis cases were culture-positive forK.pneumoniae. We analyzed 9,070K.pneumoniaegenomes from human isolates gathered globally from 2001 to 2020 to quantify the temporal rate of acquisition of AMR genes inK.pneumoniaeisolates to predict the future number of drug-resistant cases and deaths that could be averted by vaccination.Resistance rates to carbapenems are increasing most rapidly and 22.43% [95th percentile Bayesian credible interval (CrI): 5.24 to 41.42] of neonatal sepsis deaths are caused by meropenem-resistantK.pneumoniae. Globally, we estimate that maternal vaccination could avert 80,258 [CrI: 18,084 to 189,040] neonatal deaths and 399,015 [CrI: 334,523 to 485,442] neonatal sepsis cases yearly worldwide, accounting for more than 3.40% [CrI: 0.75 to 8.01] of all neonatal deaths. The largest relative benefits are in Africa (Sierra Leone, Mali, Niger) and South-East Asia (Bangladesh) where vaccination could avert over 6% of all neonatal deaths. Nevertheless, our modeling only considers country-level trends inK.pneumoniaeneonatal sepsis deaths and is unable to consider within-country variability in bacterial prevalence that may impact the projected burden of sepsis. ConclusionsAK.pneumoniaematernal vaccine could have widespread, sustained global benefits as AMR inK.pneumoniaecontinues to increase.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1918628
PAR ID:
10497754
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
PLOS MEDICINE
Date Published:
Journal Name:
PLOS Medicine
Volume:
20
Issue:
5
ISSN:
1549-1676
Page Range / eLocation ID:
e1004239
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Read, Andrew Fraser (Ed.)
    Two of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines currently approved in the United States require 2 doses, administered 3 to 4 weeks apart. Constraints in vaccine supply and distribution capacity, together with a deadly wave of COVID-19 from November 2020 to January 2021 and the emergence of highly contagious Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants, sparked a policy debate on whether to vaccinate more individuals with the first dose of available vaccines and delay the second dose or to continue with the recommended 2-dose series as tested in clinical trials. We developed an agent-based model of COVID-19 transmission to compare the impact of these 2 vaccination strategies, while varying the temporal waning of vaccine efficacy following the first dose and the level of preexisting immunity in the population. Our results show that for Moderna vaccines, a delay of at least 9 weeks could maximize vaccination program effectiveness and avert at least an additional 17.3 (95% credible interval [CrI]: 7.8–29.7) infections, 0.69 (95% CrI: 0.52–0.97) hospitalizations, and 0.34 (95% CrI: 0.25–0.44) deaths per 10,000 population compared to the recommended 4-week interval between the 2 doses. Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines also averted an additional 0.60 (95% CrI: 0.37–0.89) hospitalizations and 0.32 (95% CrI: 0.23–0.45) deaths per 10,000 population in a 9-week delayed second dose (DSD) strategy compared to the 3-week recommended schedule between doses. However, there was no clear advantage of delaying the second dose with Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines in reducing infections, unless the efficacy of the first dose did not wane over time. Our findings underscore the importance of quantifying the characteristics and durability of vaccine-induced protection after the first dose in order to determine the optimal time interval between the 2 doses. 
    more » « less
  2. Abstract BackgroundThe emergence of antimalarial drug resistance poses a major threat to effective malaria treatment and control. This study aims to inform policymakers and vaccine developers on the potential of an effective malaria vaccine in reducing drug-resistant infections. MethodsA compartmental model estimating cases, drug-resistant cases, and deaths averted from 2021 to 2030 with a vaccine againstPlasmodium falciparuminfection administered yearly to 1-year-olds in 42 African countries. Three vaccine efficacy (VE) scenarios and one scenario of rapidly increasing drug resistance are modeled. ResultsWhen VE is constant at 40% for 4 years and then drops to 0%, 235.7 (Uncertainty Interval [UI] 187.8–305.9) cases per 1000 children, 0.6 (UI 0.4–1.0) resistant cases per 1000, and 0.6 (UI 0.5–0.9) deaths per 1000 are averted. When VE begins at 80% and drops 20 percentage points each year, 313.9 (UI 249.8–406.6) cases per 1000, 0.9 (UI 0.6–1.3) resistant cases per 1000, and 0.9 (UI 0.6–1.2) deaths per 1000 are averted. When VE remains 40% for 10 years, 384.7 (UI 311.7–496.5) cases per 1000, 1.0 (0.7–1.6) resistant cases per 1000, and 1.1 (UI 0.8–1.5) deaths per 1000 are averted. Assuming an effective vaccine and an increase in current levels of drug resistance to 80% by 2030, 10.4 (UI 7.3–15.8) resistant cases per 1000 children are averted. ConclusionsWidespread deployment of a malaria vaccine could substantially reduce health burden in Africa. Maintaining VE longer may be more impactful than a higher initial VE that falls rapidly. 
    more » « less
  3. null (Ed.)
    Abstract Background Global vaccine development efforts have been accelerated in response to the devastating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We evaluated the impact of a 2-dose COVID-19 vaccination campaign on reducing incidence, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States. Methods We developed an agent-based model of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission and parameterized it with US demographics and age-specific COVID-19 outcomes. Healthcare workers and high-risk individuals were prioritized for vaccination, whereas children under 18 years of age were not vaccinated. We considered a vaccine efficacy of 95% against disease following 2 doses administered 21 days apart achieving 40% vaccine coverage of the overall population within 284 days. We varied vaccine efficacy against infection and specified 10% preexisting population immunity for the base-case scenario. The model was calibrated to an effective reproduction number of 1.2, accounting for current nonpharmaceutical interventions in the United States. Results Vaccination reduced the overall attack rate to 4.6% (95% credible interval [CrI]: 4.3%–5.0%) from 9.0% (95% CrI: 8.4%–9.4%) without vaccination, over 300 days. The highest relative reduction (54%–62%) was observed among individuals aged 65 and older. Vaccination markedly reduced adverse outcomes, with non-intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalizations, ICU hospitalizations, and deaths decreasing by 63.5% (95% CrI: 60.3%–66.7%), 65.6% (95% CrI: 62.2%–68.6%), and 69.3% (95% CrI: 65.5%–73.1%), respectively, across the same period. Conclusions Our results indicate that vaccination can have a substantial impact on mitigating COVID-19 outbreaks, even with limited protection against infection. However, continued compliance with nonpharmaceutical interventions is essential to achieve this impact. 
    more » « less
  4. IntroductionThe rise in extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producingEnterobacteriaceaein dairy cattle farms poses a risk to human health as they can spread to humans through the food chain, including raw milk. This study was designed to determine the status, antimicrobial resistance, and pathogenic potential of ESBL-producing -E. coliand -Klebsiellaspp. isolates from bulk tank milk (BTM). MethodsThirty-three BTM samples were collected from 17 dairy farms and screened for ESBL-E. coliand -Klebsiellaspp. on CHROMagar ESBL plates. All isolates were confirmed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing and whole genome sequencing (WGS). ResultsTen presumptive ESBL-producing bacteria, eightE. coli, and twoK. pneumoniaewere isolated. The prevalence of ESBL-E. coliand -K. pneumoniaein BTM was 21.2% and 6.1%, respectively. ESBL-E. coliwere detected in 41.2% of the study farms. Seven of the ESBL-E. coliisolates were multidrug resistant (MDR). The two ESBL-producingK. pneumoniaeisolates were resistant to ceftriaxone. Seven ESBL-E. colistrains carry theblaCTX-Mgene, and five of them co-harboredblaTEM-1. ESBL-E. colico-harboredblaCTX-Mwith other resistance genes, includingqnrB19,tet(A),aadA1,aph(3’’)-Ib,aph(6)-Id),floR,sul2, and chromosomal mutations (gyrA, gyrB, parC, parE, and pmrB). MostE. coliresistance genes were associated with mobile genetic elements, mainly plasmids. Six sequence types (STs) ofE. coliwere detected. All ESBL-E. coliwere predicted to be pathogenic to humans. Four STs (three ST10 and ST69) were high-risk clones ofE. coli. Up to 40 virulence markers were detected in allE. coliisolates. One of theK. pneumoniaewas ST867; the other was novel strain.K. pneumoniaeisolates carried three types of beta-lactamase genes (blaCTX-M,blaTEM-1andblaSHV). The novelK. pneumoniaeST also carried a novel IncFII(K) plasmid ST. ConclusionDetection of high-risk clones of MDR ESBL-E. coliand ESBL-K. pneumoniaein BTM indicates that raw milk could be a reservoir of potentially zoonotic ESBL-E. coliand -K. pneumoniae. 
    more » « less
  5. MacPherson, Peter (Ed.)
    BackgroundCoronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to cause significant hospitalizations and deaths in the United States. Its continued burden and the impact of annually reformulated vaccines remain unclear. Here, we present projections of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in the United States for the next 2 years under 2 plausible assumptions about immune escape (20% per year and 50% per year) and 3 possible CDC recommendations for the use of annually reformulated vaccines (no recommendation, vaccination for those aged 65 years and over, vaccination for all eligible age groups based on FDA approval). Methods and findingsThe COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub solicited projections of COVID-19 hospitalization and deaths between April 15, 2023 and April 15, 2025 under 6 scenarios representing the intersection of considered levels of immune escape and vaccination. Annually reformulated vaccines are assumed to be 65% effective against symptomatic infection with strains circulating on June 15 of each year and to become available on September 1. Age- and state-specific coverage in recommended groups was assumed to match that seen for the first (fall 2021) COVID-19 booster. State and national projections from 8 modeling teams were ensembled to produce projections for each scenario and expected reductions in disease outcomes due to vaccination over the projection period.From April 15, 2023 to April 15, 2025, COVID-19 is projected to cause annual epidemics peaking November to January. In the most pessimistic scenario (high immune escape, no vaccination recommendation), we project 2.1 million (90% projection interval (PI) [1,438,000, 4,270,000]) hospitalizations and 209,000 (90% PI [139,000, 461,000]) deaths, exceeding pre-pandemic mortality of influenza and pneumonia. In high immune escape scenarios, vaccination of those aged 65+ results in 230,000 (95% confidence interval (CI) [104,000, 355,000]) fewer hospitalizations and 33,000 (95% CI [12,000, 54,000]) fewer deaths, while vaccination of all eligible individuals results in 431,000 (95% CI: 264,000–598,000) fewer hospitalizations and 49,000 (95% CI [29,000, 69,000]) fewer deaths. ConclusionsCOVID-19 is projected to be a significant public health threat over the coming 2 years. Broad vaccination has the potential to substantially reduce the burden of this disease, saving tens of thousands of lives each year. 
    more » « less