{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]],"date-time":"2026-08-05T03:44:40Z","timestamp":1785901480423,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":74,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,13]],"date-time":"2020-12-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1607817600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001655","name":"Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["57251550"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["57251550"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001655","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002347","name":"Bundesministerium f\u00fcr Bildung und Forschung","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["Zwanzig20 -InfectControl 2020 \u2013 Project VacoME \u2013 FKZ 03ZZ0816A"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Zwanzig20 -InfectControl 2020 \u2013 Project VacoME \u2013 FKZ 03ZZ0816A"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002347","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Microorganisms"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In 2012, Ghana introduced PCV13 into its childhood immunization program. To monitor the pneumococcus after PCV13 vaccination, we analyzed serotypes, antibiotic resistance, and virulence genes of pneumococcal carriage isolates among children under five years of age. We obtained nasopharyngeal swabs from 513 children from kindergartens and immunization centers in Cape Coast, Ghana. Pneumococcal serotypes were determined by multiplex-PCR and Quellung reaction. Antibiotic resistance and virulence genes prevalence were determined by disc diffusion and PCR respectively. Overall, carriage prevalence was 29.4% and PCV13 coverage was 38.4%. Over 60% of the isolates were non-PCV13 serotypes and serotype 23B was the most prevalent. One isolate showed full resistance to penicillin, while 35% showed intermediate resistance. Resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin remained low, while susceptibility to ceftriaxone, levofloxacin and vancomycin remained high. Penicillin resistance was associated with PCV13 serotypes. Forty-three (28.5%) strains were multidrug-resistant. Virulence genes pavB, pcpA, psrP, pilus-1, and pilus-2 were detected in 100%, 87%, 62.9%, 11.9%, and 6.6% of the strains, respectively. The pilus islets were associated with PCV13 and multidrug-resistant serotypes. PCV13 vaccination had impacted on pneumococcal carriage with a significant increase in non-PCV13 serotypes and lower penicillin resistance. Including PcpA and PsrP in pneumococcal protein-based vaccines could be beneficial to Ghanaian children.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms8121987","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,13]],"date-time":"2020-12-13T20:56:57Z","timestamp":1607893017000},"page":"1987","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":15,"title":["Post-Vaccination Streptococcus pneumoniae Carriage and Virulence Gene Distribution among Children Less Than Five Years of Age, Cape Coast, Ghana"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"8","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1596-8543","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Richael O.","family":"Mills","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Molecular Genetics and Infection Biology, Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, Center for Functional Genomics of Microbes, University of Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald, Germany"},{"name":"Department of Biomedical sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohammed R.","family":"Abdullah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Molecular Genetics and Infection Biology, Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, Center for Functional Genomics of Microbes, University of Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8723-2271","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Samuel A.","family":"Akwetey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dorcas C.","family":"Sappor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Isaac","family":"Cole","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Central Laboratory Service, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra 00233, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Baffuor-Asare","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Central Laboratory Service, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra 00233, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Johan A.","family":"Bolivar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Basic and Applied Microbiology (MICROBA) School of Microbiology, University of Antioquia Medellin, 050010 Medellin, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5957-9163","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gustavo","family":"G\u00e1mez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Basic and Applied Microbiology (MICROBA) School of Microbiology, University of Antioquia Medellin, 050010 Medellin, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mark P. G.","family":"van der Linden","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"German National Reference Center for Streptococci, Department of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6382-6681","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sven","family":"Hammerschmidt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Molecular Genetics and Infection Biology, Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, Center for Functional Genomics of Microbes, University of Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e744","DOI":"10.1016\/S2214-109X(18)30247-X","article-title":"Burden of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b disease in children in the era of conjugate vaccines: Global, regional, and national estimates for 2000\u201315","volume":"6","author":"Wahl","year":"2018","journal-title":"Lancet Glob. 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