Pneumococcus
The pneumococcus bacterium (Streptococcus pneumoniae) kills up to one million children less than five years of age each year, mainly in the developing world. It is the leading cause of childhood pneumonia, the number one killer of children under five in the developing world, and it also causes meningitis (inflammation of the covering of the brain), ear infections, and bacteremia (blood stream infection). Pneumococcal disease can be treated with antibiotics; however, antibiotic-resistant strains are becoming more common worldwide. Current pneumococcal vaccines approved for use in children are effective against strains common in the industrialized world and some developing countries, but do not cover all 90+ pneumococcal serotypes and they are complex and expensive to manufacture. There are several additional vaccines in development.
More about pneumococcus | View resources on pneumococcus
Key resources
World Pneumonia Day (2011)
A website that provides information about World Pneumonia Day on November 12, 2011.
TH17-Based Vaccine Design for Prevention of Streptococcus pneumoniae Colonization (2011)
An article that gives an overview of preclinical research showing specific T cell antigens to be strong candidates for a protein subunit vaccine designed to prevent colonization of Streptococcus pneumoniae.
What Do the Next 100 Years Hold for Pneumococcal Vaccination? (2010)
An editorial article that provides a brief historical overview of vaccination against pneumococcal disease and offers a perspective on the future of pneumococcal vaccines.
Featured PATH resources
Accelerating New Vaccine Development Against Pneumonia (2011)
A fact sheet that gives a general overview of PATH's work to develop new vaccines against pneumococcal disease.
Developing New Vaccines Against Pneumonia and Other Pneumococcal Diseases (2011)
A technical fact sheet that outlines PATH's pneumococcal vaccine project including an overview of its portfolio, research activities, and partners.
Page last updated: October 2011.
