Dear Editor, A large outbreak of invasive Group B streptococcus (GBS) infection occurred in Singapore in 2015 which was associated with the consumption of Chinese-style raw fish (yusheng) porridge.1 The GBS clone responsible belonged to serotype III, ST283.2 We sought to determine if GBS could also be found in Japanese-style sushi and sashimi. We collected 17 fish sold ready-to-eat (12 salmon, ...

In this population-based study, all 314 episodes of b-haemolytic streptococcal bacteraemia in adult patients in the Pirkanmaa area, Finland, during the 10-year period 1995–2004 were retrospectively reviewed. Altogether, 92 cases of bacteraemia caused by Lancefield group A b-haemolytic streptococci (GAS), 76 caused by group B b-haemolytic streptococci (GBS), 18 caused by group C b-haemolytic str...

The present studies demonstrate that antisera directed against Streptococcus pneumoniae type 14 is opsonic for group B streptococci type III in a neutrophile-mediated bactericidal assay. Specificity was demonstrated by the observations that group B streptococci type III and S. pneumoniae type 14 adsorbed the opsonic activity of anti-S. pneumoniae type 14 antisera. Group B streptococci strain 09...

A Cowan I strain of Staphylococcus aureus was labeled with either group B streptococcal grouping or typing antiserum. These antibody-labeled reagent cells (ARC) were used in a slide coagglutination test to identify and type group B streptococci from blood agar plates. All streptococci were also identified by the standard Lancefield capillary precipitin test. In a blind study, all 141 group B st...

OBJECTIVE To determine the vaginal-rectal colonization rate with group A streptococci in late pregnancy. METHODS All patients delivering at a northern New England hospital over a 38 month period had 35-37 week vaginal-rectal swabs cultured for group A and group B streptococci, using selective media and slide agglutination. RESULTS Six thousand nine hundred forty-four screening cultures were...

The prevalence of pharyngeal carriage of group B streptococci was evaluated in patients with and without the complaint of a sore throat by three methods (blood agar plates, Columbia CNA agar plates, and a selective enrichment broth containing gentamicin and nalidixic acid). The overall carriage rate of group B streptococci was 12%, and there was no significant difference between the two groups ...

A test is described that could replace bacitracin susceptibility for presumptive identification of group A streptococci as well as 6.5% NaCl agar tolerance for presumptive identification of enterococcal streptococci. The L-pyrrolidonyl-beta-naphthylamide test, based on hydrolysis of pyrrolidonyl-beta-naphthylamide, was used in conjunction with the CAMP and bile-esculin tests to presumptively id...

Isolation procedures for the group B streptococci were bypassed by applying counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE) directly to the broth containing the initial inoculum. A total of 458 tests were performed on 389 specimens received from 93 mothers and 81 babies. Of all tests, 19.4% were positive group B streptococci by the Lancefield precipitin method. Twenty hours of incubation were required to pr...