A new article published in Nature discussed that vaccines may reduce the burden of antimicrobial resistance, in part, by preventing infections for which treatment often includes the use of antibiotics. However, the effects of vaccination on antibiotic consumption remain poorly understood-especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the burden of antimicrobial resistance is greatest.

The authors reported that vaccines that have recently been implemented in the World Health Organizations Expanded Programme on Immunization reduce antibiotic consumption substantially among children under five years of age in LMICs. The analysis of data from large-scale studies of households, it was estimated that pneumococcal conjugate vaccines and live attenuated rotavirus vaccines confer means of 19.7% and 11.4% protection against antibiotic-treated episodes of acute respiratory infection and diarrhea, respectively—in age groups that experience the greatest disease burden attributable to the vaccine-targeted pathogens.

It was stated that under current coverage levels, pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines prevent 23.8 million and 13.6 million episodes of antibiotic-treated illness, respectively, among children under five years of age in LMICs, each year. Direct protection resulting from the achievement of universal coverage targets for these vaccines could prevent an additional 40.0 million episodes of antibiotic-treated illness.

Source: Nature. 2020 May;581(7806):94-99. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2238-4. Epub 2020 Apr 29.