Pneumococcal pneumonia in adults – Re-emergence of vaccine serotypes: a prospective multicentre cohort study in Germany, 2020-2023

This prospective multicentre study investigated pneumococcal serotype distribution and vaccine coverage of the 13- and 20-valent conjugate vaccines, and the 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine among adults with community-acquired pneumonia in Germany, from 2020 to 2023, using serotype-specific urine antigen detection testing. The findings show that Streptococcus pneumoniae has reemerged as causative pathogen of pneumonia, particularly in adults aged ≥60 years. This resurgence, observed during the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, has been primarily driven by an increase in cases due to serotype 3.