Background Introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) has shown a marked reduction in the disease caused by vaccine serotypes in children providing herd protection to the elderly group. However, the emergence of non-vaccine serotypes is of great concern worldwide. Methods This study includes national laboratory data from invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) cases affecting pediatric and adult population during 2009–2019. The impact of implementing different vaccine strategies for immunocompetent adults comparing Spanish regions using PCV13 vs regions using PPV23 vaccine was also analyzed for 2017–2019. Results The overall reductions of IPD cases by PCV13 serotypes in children and adults were 88% and 59% respectively during 2009–2019 with a constant increase of serotype 8 in adults since 2015. IPD cases by additional serotypes covered by PPV23 increased from 20% in 2009 to 52% in 2019. In children, serotype 24F was the most frequent in 2019 whereas in adults, serotypes 3 and 8 accounted for 36% of IPD cases. Introduction of PCV13 or PPV23 in the adult calendar of certain Spanish regions reduced up to 25% and 11% respectively the IPD cases by PCV13 serotypes, showing a decrease of serotype 3 when PCV13 was used. Conclusions Use of PCV13 in children has shown a clear impact in pneumococcal epidemiology reducing the burden of IPD in children but also in adults by herd protection although the increase of serotype 8 in adults is worrisome. Vaccination with PCV13 in immunocompetent adults seems to control IPD cases by PCV13 serotypes including serotype 3.

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The emergence of clinical isolates associated to multidrug resistance is a serious threat worldwide in terms of public health since complicates the success of the antibiotic treatment and the resolution of the infectious process. This is of great concern in pathogens affecting the lower respiratory tract as these infections are one of the major causes of mortality in children and adults. In most cases where the respiratory pathogen is associated to multidrug-resistance, antimicrobial concentrations both in serum and at the site of infection may be insufficient and the resolution of the infection depends on the interaction of the invading pathogen with the host immune response. The outcome of these infections largely depends on the susceptibility of the pathogen to the antibiotic treatment, although the humoral and cellular immune responses also play an important role in this process. Hence, prophylactic measures or even immunotherapy are alternatives against these multi-resistant pathogens. In this sense, specific antibodies and antibiotics may act concomitantly against the respiratory pathogen. Alteration of cell surface structures by antimicrobial drugs even at sub-inhibitory concentrations might result in greater exposure of microbial ligands that are normally hidden or hardly exposed. This alteration of the bacterial envelope may stimulate opsonization by natural and/or specific antibodies or even by host defense components, increasing the recognition of the microbial pathogen by circulating phagocytes. In this review we will explain the most relevant studies, where vaccination or the use of monoclonal antibodies in combination with antimicrobial treatment has demonstrated to be an alternative strategy to overcome the impact of multidrug resistance in respiratory pathogens.