Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is a pneumococcal vaccine made with the conjugate vaccine method and used to protect infants, young children, and adults against disease caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus). It contains purified capsular polysaccharide of pneumococcal serotypes conjugated to a carrier protein to improve antibody response compared to the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of the conjugate vaccine in routine immunizations given to children.
Prevenar 13 | |
| Vaccine description | |
|---|---|
| Target | Streptococcus pneumoniae |
| Vaccine type | Conjugate |
| Clinical data | |
| Trade names | Prevnar 20, Prevnar 13, Synflorix, others; discontinued Prevnar (PCV7) |
| Other names | PCV, pneumococcal vaccine, capsular polysaccharides |
| AHFS/Drugs.com | Monograph |
| MedlinePlus | a607021 |
| License data |
|
| Pregnancy category |
|
| Routes of administration | Intramuscular |
| ATC code | |
| Legal status | |
| Legal status | |
| Identifiers | |
| ChemSpider |
|
| KEGG | |
Vaccine-mediated immunity is "conferred mainly by opsonophagocytic killing of S. pneumoniae."
The most common side effects in children are decreased appetite, fever (only very common in children aged six weeks to five years), irritability, reactions at the site of injection (reddening or hardening of the skin, swelling, pain or tenderness), somnolence (sleepiness) and poor quality sleep. In adults and the elderly, the most common side effects are decreased appetite, headaches, diarrhea, fever (only very common in adults aged 18 to 29 years), vomiting (only very common in adults aged 18 to 49 years), rash, reactions at the site of injection, limitation of arm movement, arthralgia and myalgia (joint and muscle pain), chills and fatigue.