Cheng Hsueh-Chien Raymond, Kuo Shu-Chen, Lai Jui-Fen, Wu Han-Chieh, Chen Feng-Jui, Sytwu Huey-Kang, Lo Stephanie W, Bentley Stephen D, Huang Ying-Chi
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK.
National Institute of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Taiwan, ROC.
Microb Genom. 2025 Sep;11(9). doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.001498.
remains a leading respiratory pathogen for children and the elderly. In Taiwan, a national PCV13 catch-up vaccination programme for children began in March 2013. This study investigates the population structure and antimicrobial profiles of pneumococcal isolates in Taiwan from 2006 to 2022. A total of 1,343 . isolates were collected biennially from 27 hospitals across 4 regions of Taiwan. All isolates were analysed for serotypes and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles, and 137 isolates causing invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPDs) underwent whole-genome sequencing. In the post-PCV13 era (2014-2022), serotypes 15A, 23A, 19A, 19F and 6A predominated. The elderly populations showed an increased proportion of IPD in the post-PCV13 era. Among the 137 IPD isolates, GPSC1 (21.9%) was the primary lineage, consistently harbouring AMR genes. Serotype 15A within GPSC9 emerged rapidly, particularly in central Taiwan. In GPSC16, non-PCV13 serotype 15B/C increased significantly, replacing vaccine types. GPSC6 displayed frequent capsular switching, a unique phenomenon in Taiwan, driven by distinct recombination events post-2000. These findings underscore the importance of sustained genomic surveillance of in Taiwan to monitor age-related shifts in IPD burden and to track the expansion of persistent and highly adaptable lineages such as GPSC1 and GPSC6.
仍然是儿童和老年人的主要呼吸道病原体。在台湾，一项针对儿童的全国性PCV13补种疫苗计划于2013年3月开始。本研究调查了2006年至2022年台湾肺炎球菌分离株的种群结构和抗菌谱。共从台湾4个地区的27家医院每两年收集1343株分离株。对所有分离株进行血清型和抗菌药物耐药性（AMR）分析，对137株引起侵袭性肺炎球菌疾病（IPD）的分离株进行全基因组测序。在PCV13时代之后（2014 - 2022年），血清型15A、23A、19A、19F和6A占主导地位。老年人群在PCV13时代之后IPD比例有所增加。在137株IPD分离株中，GPSC1（21.9%）是主要谱系，一直携带AMR基因。GPSC9内的血清型15A迅速出现，尤其在台湾中部。在GPSC16中，非PCV13血清型15B/C显著增加，取代了疫苗型血清型。GPSC6表现出频繁的荚膜转换，这在台湾是一种独特现象，由2000年后不同的重组事件驱动。这些发现强调了在台湾持续进行基因组监测的重要性，以监测IPD负担的年龄相关变化，并追踪诸如GPSC1和GPSC6等持续且高度适应性谱系的扩张。
