Featured Publications
Association Between the Decline in Pneumococcal Disease in Unimmunized Adults and Vaccine-Derived Protection Against Colonization in Toddlers and Preschool-Aged Children
Weinberger DM, Pitzer VE, Regev-Yochay G, Givon-Lavi N, Dagan R. Association Between the Decline in Pneumococcal Disease in Unimmunized Adults and Vaccine-Derived Protection Against Colonization in Toddlers and Preschool-Aged Children. American Journal Of Epidemiology 2018, 188: 160-168. PMID: 30462150, PMCID: PMC6321804, DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwy219.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsInvasive pneumococcal diseaseUnimmunized adultsPneumococcal diseaseVaccine-associated immunityVaccine-derived protectionVaccine-targeted serotypesNationwide surveillance studyPrevalence of colonizationUnvaccinated adultsPneumococcal carriagePreschool aged childrenVaccine uptakeColonization prevalenceGroup of childrenVaccination coverageEmergency departmentSurveillance studyDisease ratesTrajectory of declineAge rangeAdultsAged childrenChildrenSerotypesVaccine
2024
A low-cost culture- and DNA extraction-free method for the molecular detection of pneumococcal carriage in saliva
Peno C, Lin T, Hislop M, Yolda-Carr D, Farjado K, York A, Pitzer V, Weinberger D, Bei A, Allicock O, Wyllie A. A low-cost culture- and DNA extraction-free method for the molecular detection of pneumococcal carriage in saliva. Microbiology Spectrum 2024, 12: e00591-24. PMID: 39028185, PMCID: PMC11370248, DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00591-24.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchDetection of pneumococciDetection of pneumococcal carriagePneumococcal carriageCarriage surveillanceLow-resource settingsChildren attending childcare centersCarriage of pneumococciDNA extractionSaliva samplesMolecular methodsCultural enrichmentImprove surveillance effortsQPCR-based protocolPneumococcal vaccineExtraction-free methodMolecular detectionNucleic acid extractionVaccination strategiesPneumococciCulture-enrichment methodExtraction-free protocolPurified DNASalivaPaired samplesCarriageContact with young children is a major risk factor for pneumococcal colonization in older adults
Wyllie A, Yolda-Carr D, Hislop M, Mbodj S, Wurst L, Waghela P, Alexander-Parrish R, Grant L, Arguedas A, Gessner B, Weinberger D. Contact with young children is a major risk factor for pneumococcal colonization in older adults. FEMS Microbes 2024, 5: xtae032. PMID: 39502507, PMCID: PMC11536760, DOI: 10.1093/femsmc/xtae032.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPneumococcal conjugate vaccineOlder adultsContact with childrenContact with young childrenNon-institutionalized individualsHousehold membersPneumococcal conjugate vaccine immunizationAdult household membersHealth QuestionnaireYoung childrenTransmission of pneumococciPneumococcal carriagePneumococcal colonization
2023
High Levels of Detection of Nonpneumococcal Species of Streptococcus in Saliva from Adults in the United States
Hislop M, Allicock O, Thammavongsa D, Mbodj S, Nelson A, Shaw A, Weinberger D, Wyllie A. High Levels of Detection of Nonpneumococcal Species of Streptococcus in Saliva from Adults in the United States. Microbiology Spectrum 2023, 11: e05207-22. PMID: 37067447, PMCID: PMC10269540, DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.05207-22.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPersistence of Pneumococcal Carriage among Older Adults in the Community despite COVID-19 Mitigation Measures
Wyllie A, Mbodj S, Thammavongsa D, Hislop M, Yolda-Carr D, Waghela P, Nakahata M, Stahlfeld A, Vega N, York A, Allicock O, Wilkins G, Ouyang A, Siqueiros L, Strong Y, Anastasio K, Alexander-Parrish R, Arguedas A, Gessner B, Weinberger D. Persistence of Pneumococcal Carriage among Older Adults in the Community despite COVID-19 Mitigation Measures. Microbiology Spectrum 2023, 11: e04879-22. PMID: 37036377, PMCID: PMC10269788, DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.04879-22.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsInvasive pneumococcal diseasePneumococcal diseaseSchool-aged childrenOlder adultsPneumococcal carriageSaliva samplesCOVID-19 pandemicRate of carriageCOVID-19-related disruptionsUpper respiratory tractRegular contactNew Haven areaFirst yearCarriage prevalencePre-pandemic levelsMedical historyRespiratory tractHigh prevalenceStreptococcus pneumoniaeCOVID-19 mitigation measuresStudy participantsPneumococciPrevalenceDiseaseCarriageThe COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity for unravelling the causative association between respiratory viruses and pneumococcus-associated disease in young children: a prospective study
Dagan R, van der Beek B, Ben-Shimol S, Greenberg D, Shemer-Avni Y, Weinberger D, Danino D. The COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity for unravelling the causative association between respiratory viruses and pneumococcus-associated disease in young children: a prospective study. EBioMedicine 2023, 90: 104493. PMID: 36857965, PMCID: PMC9970381, DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104493.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCommunity-acquired alveolar pneumoniaLower respiratory infectionsRespiratory syncytial virusInvasive pneumococcal diseaseHuman metapneumovirusDisease endpointsPneumococcal diseaseRespiratory virusesProspective studyNasopharyngeal pneumococcal carriagePneumococcal bacteremic pneumoniaProspective surveillance programRespiratory virus activityCommon respiratory virusesPneumococcal carriage prevalenceBurden of diseaseDifferent clinical endpointsYoung childrenCOVID-19 pandemicProportion of testsAlveolar pneumoniaBacteremic pneumoniaPneumococcal carriageRespiratory infectionsCarriage prevalence
2021
Decline in Pneumococcal Disease in Young Children During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic in Israel Associated With Suppression of Seasonal Respiratory Viruses, Despite Persistent Pneumococcal Carriage: A Prospective Cohort Study
Danino D, Ben-Shimol S, Van Der Beek BA, Givon-Lavi N, Avni YS, Greenberg D, Weinberger DM, Dagan R. Decline in Pneumococcal Disease in Young Children During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic in Israel Associated With Suppression of Seasonal Respiratory Viruses, Despite Persistent Pneumococcal Carriage: A Prospective Cohort Study. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2021, 75: e1154-e1164. PMID: 34904635, PMCID: PMC8754767, DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciab1014.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCommunity-acquired alveolar pneumoniaInvasive pneumococcal diseasePneumococcal carriagePneumococcal diseaseRespiratory virusesSurveillance projectCOVID-19 pandemicBacteremic pneumococcal pneumoniaNasopharyngeal pneumococcal carriageSpecific respiratory virusesSARS-CoV-2 casesFirst SARS-CoV-2 caseLower respiratory infectionsProspective cohort studyPneumococcal carriage prevalencePneumococcal serotype distributionRespiratory syncytial virusSeasonal respiratory virusesRespiratory virus detectionChest X-rayDensity of colonizationAlveolar pneumoniaPneumococcal pneumoniaCohort studyRespiratory infections1321. Acquisition and Transmission of Streptococcus pneumoniae in Individuals Over the Age of 60 Years Residing in New Haven, CT, USA
Wyllie A, Mbodj S, Yolda-Carr D, Thammavongsa D, Waghela P, Nakahata M, Vega N, York A, Allicock O, Alexander-Parrish R, Arguedas A, Gessner B, Weinberger D, Hislop M. 1321. Acquisition and Transmission of Streptococcus pneumoniae in Individuals Over the Age of 60 Years Residing in New Haven, CT, USA. Open Forum Infectious Diseases 2021, 8: 749-749. PMCID: PMC8689704, DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofab466.1513.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPneumococcal carriageSaliva samplesOlder adultsPreventative public health measuresPneumococcal conjugate vaccineNew Haven areaPublic health measuresPneumococcal acquisitionPneumococcal diseaseConjugate vaccinePneumococcal transmissionStudy enrollmentMedical historyImportant burdenDemonstrate evidenceStreptococcus pneumoniaeHealth measuresMultiple timepointsTime pointsWeeksAdultsCOVID-19 pandemicAgeHigh ratePneumococci
2013
Using Pneumococcal Carriage Data to Monitor Postvaccination Changes in Invasive Disease
Weinberger DM, Bruden DT, Grant LR, Lipsitch M, O'Brien KL, Pelton SI, Sanders EA, Feikin DR. Using Pneumococcal Carriage Data to Monitor Postvaccination Changes in Invasive Disease. American Journal Of Epidemiology 2013, 178: 1488-1495. PMID: 24013204, PMCID: PMC3813314, DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwt156.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsInvasive pneumococcal diseaseIPD incidenceCarriage dataProportion of IPDPCV changesNasopharyngeal carriage studyNasopharyngeal pneumococcal carriagePre-PCV7 periodYears of agePCV7 introductionPneumococcal diseaseCarriage prevalenceNonvaccine serotypesPneumococcal carriageVaccine impactInvasive diseaseCarriage studiesHigh-quality surveillance systemsAmerican Indian populationsSerotype dataIncidenceIndian populationMixed effects modelsSerotypesVaccine