Abstract: Provided herein are compositions designed to reduce or prevent bacterial infections (for example pneuomococcal infections), nasal carriage, nasal colonization, and central nervous system invasion. Provided herein is a composition comprising a pneumococcal neuraminidase, phosphocholine, pneumococcal teichoic acid, pneumococcal lipoteichoic acid, or an antigenic portion of either neuraminidase, phosphocholine, pneumococcal teichoic acid, pneumococcal lipoteichoic acid. Optionally, the composition can comprise any combination of a pneumococcal neuraminidase, a phosphocholine, a pneumococcal teichoic acid, a pneumococcal lipoteichoic acid or an antigenic portion of any one of these. Optionally the agents are detoxified. Further provided are methods of making and using the compositions disclosed herein. Specifically provided are methods of generating antibodies in a subject comprising administering to the subject an agent or composition taught herein.

Abstract: Disclosed and claimed are: epitopic regions of Pneumococcal Surface Protein C or “PspC”, different clades of PspC, isolated and/or purified nucleic acid molecules such as DNA encoding a fragment or portion of PspC such as an epitopic region of PspC or at least one epitope of PspC, uses for such nucleic acid molecules, e.g., to detect the presence of PspC or of S. pneumoniae by detecting a nucleic acid molecule therefor in a sample such as by amplification and/or a polymerase chain reaction, vectors or plasmids which contain and/or express such nucleic acid molecles, e.g.