Persistence of vaccine serotype carriage and differences in pneumococcal carriage by lab method and sample type in Indigenous individuals in the Southwest USA.

Background: In the United States, the invasive pneumococcal disease incidence in Indigenous populations is higher than in the general population. Molecular detection and/or specimen sampling from multiple body sites could enhance our understanding of pneumococcal carriage, a prerequisite for disease.

Methods: Persons <5 and ≥18 years of age from the Navajo Nation and White Mountain Apache Tribal lands were enrolled in an observational carriage study from October 2015 through September 2017.

Impact of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines on Otitis Media among American Indian/Alaska Native children in the Southwest United States.

We assessed the impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on pneumococcal otitis media (OM) among children living in Navajo and White Mountain Apache Tribal lands. During the PCV7 era (2000-2009), the proportion of vaccine-type OM declined. However, vaccine-type OM (predominantly 3, 19A, and 19F) persisted in the PCV13 era (2010-2019).