Capsular switching and emergence of vaccine escape variants after PCV introduction
While pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) have greatly reduced the global burden of pneumococcal disease, the emergence of disease caused by non-vaccine type (NVT) pneumococci, through serotype replacement and/or serotype (capsular) switching, remains a significant challenge. This article reviews the process of vaccine escape by capsular switching and the resulting impact on PCVs’ effectiveness.
