OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Equate Strep B(R) test for clinical use in patients at high risk for complications from group B streptococcus (GBS) disease. METHODS Vaginoperineal swabs were obtained from patients with preterm premature rupture of the membranes and/or preterm labor and semiquantitative GBS cultures and Equate(R) assay were performed. RESULTS From May...

BACKGROUND Maternal vaginal colonisation with Group B Streptococcus (GBS, Streptococcus agalactiae) at the time of delivery can cause vertical transmission to the neonate. GBS is the leading cause of sepsis, meningitis and pneumonia in the infants. Asymptomatic colonisation of the vagina with GBS varies with the geographical location. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2009...

OBJECTIVE To detect the magnitude of group B streptococcal (GBS) colonization and disease among a sample of pregnant women and their infants in Egypt. STUDY DESIGN Prospective observational study. PARTICIPANTS The study included 95 pregnant females, 35-37 weeks of gestational age, attending the antenatal outpatient clinic at AlFayom University Hospital between September 2006 and June 2007. ...

Group B streptococcus (GBS) imposes a major health threat to newborn infants. Little is known about the molecular basis of GBS-induced sepsis. Both heat-inactivated whole GBS bacteria and a heat-labile soluble factor released by GBS during growth (GBS-F) induce nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB, the secretion of TNF-alpha, and the formation of NO in mouse macrophages. Macrophages from mice wit...

Congenic C5-deficient and C5-sufficient mice were infected with group B streptococci (GBS) to determine if the polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMNL) chemoattractant C5a contributes to PMNL recruitment in GBS infection and if GBS C5a-ase reduces C5a-induced PMNL recruitment in vivo. PMNL accumulation was greater in the peritoneum and air spaces of C5-sufficient mice than in C5-deficient mice. Admin...

To further understand the emergence of serotype IV group B Streptococcus (GBS) invasive disease, we used whole-genome sequencing to characterize 3 sequence type 468 strains isolated from neonates in Minnesota, USA. We found that strains of tetracycline-resistant sequence type 468 GBS have acquired virulence genes from a putative clonal complex 17 GBS donor by recombination.

The incidence and outcome of group B streptococcal (GBS) sepsis were assessed prospectively between September 2011 and February 2015 in all tertiary care pediatric hospitals of Switzerland. We describe a low incidence of GBS early-onset sepsis (0.12/1000 livebirths) and a predominance of GBS late-onset sepsis (0.36/1000 livebirths), a pattern that has not been reported in other countries.

Among 78 erythromycin-resistant group B streptococcus (GBS) isolates from Korea, ermB was detected in 58 (74.4%), mefA was detected in 14 (17.9%), and ermTR was detected in 6 (7.7%). The most prevalent serotypes of erythromycin-resistant GBS were V (detected in 34 isolates [43.6%]) and III (detected in 33 isolates [42.3%]). All serotype V erythromycin-resistant GBS harbored the ermB gene.

A nontypeable blood isolate of group B streptococci (GBS) from a patient with endocarditis is suggested to be the nonencapsulated phase of a GBS strain, type III. From the original high-density isolate, a low-density, encapsulated phase was selected by Percoll gradient centrifugation. This phenomenon should be considered before a GBS strain is classified as truly nontypeable.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis in high-income settings and is associated with high rates of neonatal mortality and morbidity. There is now increasing evidence to suggest that there is a high GBS disease burden in resource-limited countries, and it is therefore critically important to identify suitable and practical preventive strategies. In Euro...