Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute polyneuropathy with a variable degree of weakness that reaches its maximal severity within 4 weeks. The disease is mostly preceded by an infection and generally runs a monophasic course. Both intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and plasma exchange (PE) are effective in GBS. Rather surprisingly, steroids alone are ineffective. Mainly for practical reasons,...

BACKGROUND The province of Ontario, Canada initiated mass immunization clinics with adjuvanted pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccine in October 2009. Due to the scale of the campaign, temporal associations with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and vaccination were expected. The objectives of this analysis were to estimate the number of background GBS cases expected to occur in the projected vaccinated p...

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy characterized by areflexic paralysis. Most cases of GBS are preceded by an infection, however, posttraumatic GBS has also recently been reported. We report a case of posttraumatic GBS immediately following a traffic accident. We think this case is of clinical significance for practitioners because of the rare cause of...

his case is difficult. Meningitis in patients with inner ear malformations is associated with bacteria (e.g., S. pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae) that colonize the upper airways. The prevalence of oropharyngeal colonization with GBS is low (≈5%), explaining the rarity of GBS meningitis (10). Unlike for pneumococcal meningitis, which can be prevented at least partially by vaccination, no v...

Camels are the most valuable livestock species in the Horn of Africa and play a pivotal role in the nutritional sustainability for millions of people. Their health status is therefore of utmost importance for the people living in this region. Streptococcus agalactiae, a Group B Streptococcus (GBS), is an important camel pathogen. Here we present the first epidemiological study based on genetic ...

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of bacterial sepsis and meningitis in newborns. GBS possesses a protein with homology to the pneumococcal virulence factor, NanA, which has neuraminidase (sialidase) activity and promotes blood-brain barrier penetration. However, phylogenetic sequence and enzymatic analyses indicate the GBS NanA ortholog has lost sialidase function - and for this d...

OBJECTIVE To determine the validity of a novel Group B Streptococcus (GBS) diagnostic assay for the detection of GBS in antepartum patients. STUDY DESIGN Women were screened for GBS colonization at 35 to 37 weeks of gestation. Three vaginal-rectal swabs were collected per patient; two were processed by traditional culture (commercial laboratory versus in-house culture), and the third was proc...

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS), is the most common pathogen causing infections among perinatal women and neonatal babies. Nonetheless, there are few studies on the occurrence of GBS among the pregnant women and the mechanisms of GBS resistance to quinolones and macrolides in Taiwan. METHODS GBS were isolated from vaginas of the pregnant and non-pregnant symptomatic women in...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a voluntary protocol for selective intrapartum chemoprophylaxis on the incidence of early onset group B streptococcal sepsis (GBS EOS). METHODS Cases of GBS EOS were defined as a positive GBS culture from a normally sterile fluid obtained during the first 7 days of life. All cases of GBS EOS at an urban, university-affiliated commu...

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of meningitis in neonates. We have previously shown that plasminogen, once recruited to the GBS cell surface and converted into plasmin by host-derived activators, leads to an enhancement of bacterial virulence. Here, we investigated whether plasmin(ogen) bound at the GBS surface contributes to blood-brain barrier penetration and invasion of the ...