Typing of pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) in Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated during epidemiological surveillance in Brazil:: towards novel pneumococcal protein vaccines

Pneumococcal protein vaccine based on pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) is in development with the potential to offer broad range of protection against different strains. We have investigated the frequency of PspA family I (Fam1) and family 2 (Fam2) proteins among Streptococcus pneumoniae recovered from ongoing surveillance in Brazil. Fam I and Fam2 were expressed in comparable rates among 366 isolates, with the potential coverage of 94.3%. PspA families were not associated to age group or source of isolates. However, considering the significant tendency of increasing prevalence of Fam2 associated to widespread dissemination of the genetically-related resistant strains, the monitoring of the PspA families derived from population-based data may be necessary in the context of vaccine development. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.