Epidemiology of invasive pneumococcal disease in indigenous and non-indigenous adults in northwestern Ontario, Canada, 2006–2015

Background Despite the use of pneumococcal vaccines, indigenous populations are consistently disproportionately affected by invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). With recent changes in Ontario’s provincial pneumococcal vaccination program, we sought to evaluate the epidemiology and burden of IPD in northwestern Ontario (NWO) Canada – a region that contains a substantial (19.2%) indigenous population. Methods We retrospectively reviewed all adult cases of IPD that were reported to the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, over a 10-year period (2006–2015). Patients admitted to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre with IPD had their charts reviewed to abstract clinical data. Statistical analysis, including incidence rates of IPD, was performed. Results Two hundred sixty-two cases of IPD occurred over the 10-year observation period and clinical data was available for 182 cases. Fifty-three of 182 (29.1%) patients were indigenous. 73 of 182 (40.1%) of patients were immunocompromised. Indigenous patients with IPD were more likely to be immunocompromised than non-indigenous patients (p < 0.001). Serotype data was available for 159 cases of IPD; PCV7, PCV13, and PPV23 covered 5.7%, 28.3%, and 79.2% of isolates, respectively, while 29 (20.8%) were non-vaccine serotypes. The annual incidence rate of IPD ranged from 8.9 to 25.9 per 100,000 among adults 18–64 years old; among adults 65 years of age and older the annual incidence of IPD ranged from 18.5 to 60.7 per 100,000. Conclusion Among adults in NWO, Canada, there is a high incidence of IPD. Immunocompromised indigenous adults in NWO may benefit from pneumococcal vaccination coverage. Emerging non-vaccine serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae warrant the consideration of the provincial pneumococcal vaccination program.