Group B Streptococcus (GBS; Streptococcus agalactiae) is an important cause of sepsis and meningitis. Nine GBS serotypes, based on capsular polysaccharide (CPS) antigens, have been described. Their distribution varies worldwide and needs to be monitored to understand the epidemiology of GBS disease and inform the development of vaccines. In this study, we sequenced cpsH of GBS serotype II (cpsH...

Lancefield Group B Streptococci (GBS) are common causes of infection in adults with diabetes as well as a classical cause of perinatal meningitis. The organism is classically a beta-hemolytic streptococcus. We present an unusual case of human infection by a phenotypically rare manifestation of GBS, in which a chemotherapy port exhibited bacteremia of an organism without hemolysis (so-called gam...

Surface filamentous structures known as pili have been discovered recently in the gram-positive streptococcal pathogens that cause invasive disease in humans, including group B Streptococcus (GBS). We show that two GBS proteins involved in pilus formation, encoded by pilA and pilB, also facilitate the interaction of this important agent of central nervous system infection with endothelial cells...

The performance of StrepB Carrot Broth (SCB) versus group B Lim broth (LIM) for detection of group B streptococcus (GBS) colonization status in near-term pregnant women (35 to 37 weeks of gestation) was evaluated. Dually collected vaginal/rectal swabs from 279 women enrolled from a single large maternity clinic were analyzed. Fifty (18%) women were colonized by GBS according to both methods. SC...

Resistance of group B streptococcus (GBS) to antibiotics, particularly erythromycin and clindamycin, was studied. Erythromycin resistance was present in 22% of GBS isolates, and these isolates were constitutively resistant, inducibly resistant, or sensitive to clindamycin. Erythromycin and clindamycin MICs were related to the presence of ermA, ermB, or mefA genes.

We examined the genetic diversity of serotype V group B streptococcus (GBS) isolates in the Paris area and compared them with the predominant American serotype V clone. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis yielded 11 patterns for 64 French GBS. One pattern was obtained with 60% of the isolates tested and was indistinguishable from that of the predominant American clone.

background: group  b  streptococcus   (gbs)  is  one  of  the  most  important  cause  of  morbidity  and  mortality  among  newborns  especially  in  developing  countries.  it  has  been  shown  that  the  screening  approach  rather  than  the  identification  of  maternal  clinical  risk  factors  for  early-onset  neonatal  gbs  disease  is  more  effective  in  preventing  early-onset  gb...

The performances of the AmpliVue, BD Max, and illumigene group B Streptococcus (GBS) nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) were compared to that of enriched culture for detection of GBS in antenatal screening specimens. Two hundred specimens were tested simultaneously with the NAATs, following 18 to 24 h of Lim broth enrichment; 15% of specimens were culture positive for GBS, whereas 31.5% w...

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is the most common pathogen in neonates and may induce the overproduction of cytokines. To further clarify temporal alterations in the levels of various cytokines/chemokines, we measured the concentrations of 16 types of these immunological responders in the serum of a neonate presenting with GBS infection. At birth, the concentrations of different cytokines/chemokin...

Although group B streptococcus (GBS) has been considered to be uniformly susceptible to beta-lactams, the presence of GBS with reduced penicillin susceptibility (PRGBS) was recently confirmed genetically. We developed a feasible and reliable method for screening PRGBS in clinical microbiology laboratories using a combination of ceftibuten, oxacillin, and ceftizoxime disks.