Clinical Laboratory Perspective on Streptococcus halichoeri, an Unusual Nonhemolytic, Lancefield Group B Streptococcus Causing Human Infections

Two siblings with septicemia due to betahemolytic streptococci, Lancefield Group B, are reported. Both patients had fever of unknown origin and a rash present on the extremities similar to erythema nodosum. The mode of transmission is obscure although it is likely that person-to-person spread could account for this episode.

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Fatal myocarditis associated with a Lancefield group B streptococcus

Journal of Infection ◽

10.1016/s0163-4453(98)95071-x ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 354-355 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

A.C. Bateman ◽

M. Richards ◽

A.P. Pallett

Keyword(s):

Group B Streptococcus ◽

Group B ◽

Lancefield Group

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Reliable Detection of Group B Streptococcus in the Clinical Laboratory

Journal of Clinical Microbiology ◽

10.1128/jcm.00582-17 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 55 (9) ◽

pp. 2590-2598 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Manuel Rosa-Fraile ◽

Barbara Spellerberg

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Clinical Laboratory ◽

Culture Media ◽

Group B Streptococcus ◽

Molecular Techniques ◽

Diagnostic Tools ◽

Species Determination ◽

Flight Mass Spectrometry ◽

Detection And Identification ◽

Group B

ABSTRACTGroup B streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of invasive neonatal infections and a significant pathogen in immunocompromised adults. Screening to detect GBS colonization in pregnant women determines the need for antibiotic prophylaxis in that pregnancy. Efficient determination of the GBS colonization status of pregnant women is crucial. Methods that maximize the probability of GBS recovery are needed. The availability of technologies such as matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), molecular techniques, and chromogenic culture media, including Granada-type media, have changed the scenario for GBS detection and identification. This review presents and evaluates novel diagnostic tools, as well as classic identification techniques, for GBS species determination.

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Prevalence of group B streptococcus colonization in pregnant women in Jiangsu, East China

BMC Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1186/s12879-021-06186-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yanmei Ge ◽

Fei Pan ◽

Rui Bai ◽

Yuan Mao ◽

Wenli Ji ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Bacterial Culture ◽

Clinical Laboratory ◽

Group B Streptococcus ◽

East China ◽

Quick Method ◽

Positive Rate ◽

The Difference ◽

Group B ◽

Conventional Detection

Abstract Background Group B streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of early-onset neonatal sepsis. However, GBS was infrequently reported in the developing world in contrast to western countries. This study assessed the prevalence of GBS colonization among pregnant women in Jiangsu, East China, and revealed the difference of GBS infection between culture and PCR. Methods A total of 16,184 pregnant women at 34 to 37 weeks’ gestation aged 16–47 years were recruited from Nanjing Kingmed Center for Clinical Laboratory. Nine thousand twenty-two pregnant women received GBS screening by PCR detection only. Seven thousand one hundred sixty-two pregnant women received GBS screening by bacterial culture and GBS-positive samples were tested for antibiotic resistance. Results The overall GBS positive rate was 8.7% by PCR and 3.5% by culture. Colonization rate was highest in the “25–29 years” age group. The 249 GBS-positive samples which detected by culture were all sensitive to penicillin. The prevalence of resistance to erythromycin, clindamycin, and levofloxacin was 77.5, 68.3, and 52.2%, respectively. Conclusions This study revealed the data on the prevalence of GBS colonization in pregnant women at 34 to 37 weeks’ gestation in Jiangsu, East China. It compared the difference of the sensitivity to detect GBS between PCR and culture. PCR was expected to become a quick method in pregnancy women conventional detection of GBS infection.

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Non-culture detection of Streptococcus agalactiae (Lancefield group B Streptococcus) in clinical samples by real-time PCR

Journal of Medical Microbiology ◽

10.1099/jmm.0.042879-0 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 61 (8) ◽

pp. 1086-1090 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Aruni de Zoysa ◽

Kirstin Edwards ◽

Saheer Gharbia ◽

Anthony Underwood ◽

André Charlett ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Streptococcus Agalactiae ◽

Real Time Pcr ◽

Group B Streptococcus ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Group B ◽

Lancefield Group

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Distribution of Pilus Islands in Streptococcus agalactiae That Cause Human Infections: Insights into Evolution and Implication for Vaccine Development

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology ◽

10.1128/cvi.00529-12 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 313-316 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

E. R. Martins ◽

A. Andreu ◽

J. Melo-Cristino ◽

M. Ramirez

Keyword(s):

Streptococcus Agalactiae ◽

Vaccine Development ◽

Group B Streptococcus ◽

Human Pathogens ◽

Content Type ◽

The Stability ◽

Group B ◽

Human Infections ◽

Sequence Types

ABSTRACTAt least one pilus island, PI-1 (70%), PI-2a (79%), or PI-2b (21%), was found among 898Streptococcus agalactiae(group B streptococcus [GBS]) isolates recovered from humans, supporting the use of pilus proteins in vaccines. The stability and dominance of PI-1 and PI-2a in multiple serotypes and founder multilocus sequence types disseminated worldwide suggest it could be the PI combination present in ancestral GBS human pathogens.

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Antibiotic Resistance Patterns of Group B Streptococcal Clinical Isolates

Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology ◽

10.1080/10647440410001722269 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Jose A. Simoes ◽

Alla A. Aroutcheva ◽

Ira Heimler ◽

Sebastian Faro

Keyword(s):

Clinical Laboratory ◽

Group B Streptococcus ◽

Antibiotic Sensitivity ◽

Clinical Isolates ◽

National Committee ◽

Suitable Alternative ◽

Sensitivity Pattern ◽

Resistance Patterns ◽

Group B

Objectives:To determine thein vitroresistance of group B streptococcus (GBS) to 12 antibiotics. To determine if there has been any decrease in sensitivity to the penicillins or other antibiotics currently used for GBS chemoprophylaxis in pregnant women. Find suitable alternative antibiotics to penicillin. Find an antibiotic that will have minimal selective pressure for resistance among the endogenous resident vaginal microflora.Methods:The antibiotic susceptibility profiles of 52 clinical isolates of GBS were evaluated to 12 antibiotics: ampicillin, azithromycin, cefamandole, cefazolin, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, erythromycin, nitrofurantoin, ofloxacin, penicillin and vancomycin. Antibiotic sensitivities were determined using disk diffusion and microdilution methods according to the guidelines of the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS).Results:All isolates were sensitive to vancomycin, ofloxacin, ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, nitrofurantoin and penicillin. However, the following number of clinical isolates exhibited intermediate or decreased sensitivity, nine (17%) to ampicillin, eight (15%) to penicillin, 14 (32%) to ciprofloxacin and one (2%) to nitrofurantoin. Thirty-one percent of the isolates were resistant to azithromycin and ceftriaxone, 19% to clindamycin, 15% to cefazolin and 13% to cefamandole. Eighteen (35%) of the clinical isolates tested were resistant to 6 of the 12 antibiotics tested.Conclusions:The relatively high rates of resistance for 6 of the 12 antibiotics tested suggest that for women allergic to penicillin and colonized with GBS, antibiotic sensitivities to their isolates should be determined. The antibiotic selected for intrapartum chemoprophylaxis should be guided by the organism’s antibiotic sensitivity pattern. Patients with GBS bacteriuria should be treated with nitrofurantoin.

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Evidence for Rare Capsular Switching in Streptococcus agalactiae

Journal of Bacteriology ◽

10.1128/jb.01130-09 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 192 (5) ◽

pp. 1361-1369 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Elisabete Raquel Martins ◽

José Melo-Cristino ◽

Mário Ramirez

Keyword(s):

Streptococcus Agalactiae ◽

Group B Streptococcus ◽

Surface Protein ◽

Gene Profiling ◽

Critical Importance ◽

Vaccination Strategies ◽

Antigenic Factor ◽

Group B ◽

Lancefield Group

ABSTRACT The polysaccharide capsule is a major antigenic factor in Streptococcus agalactiae (Lancefield group B streptococcus [GBS]). Previous observations suggest that exchange of capsular loci is likely to occur rather frequently in GBS, even though GBS is not known to be naturally transformable. We sought to identify and characterize putative capsular switching events, by means of a combination of phenotypic and genotypic methods, including pulsed-field gel electrophoretic profiling, multilocus sequence typing, and surface protein and pilus gene profiling. We show that capsular switching by horizontal gene transfer is not as frequent as previously suggested. Serotyping errors may be the main reason behind the overestimation of capsule switching, since phenotypic techniques are prone to errors of interpretation. The identified putative capsular transformants involved the acquisition of the entire capsular locus and were not restricted to the serotype-specific central genes, the previously suggested main mechanism underlying capsular switching. Our data, while questioning the frequency of capsular switching, provide clear evidence for in vivo capsular transformation in S. agalactiae, which may be of critical importance in planning future vaccination strategies against this pathogen.

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Sudden Increase in Isolation of Group B Streptococci, Serotype V, Is Not Due to Emergence of a New Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis Type

Journal of Clinical Microbiology ◽

10.1128/jcm.36.7.2115-2116.1998 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 36 (7) ◽

pp. 2115-2116 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

J. A. Elliott ◽

K. D. Farmer ◽

R. R. Facklam

Keyword(s):

Gel Electrophoresis ◽

Group B Streptococcus ◽

The United States ◽

Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis ◽

Sudden Increase ◽

Chromosomal Dna ◽

Group B Streptococci ◽

Pulsed Field ◽

Group B ◽

Human Infections

Until recently, group B streptococcus, serotype V (GBS-V), was an infrequent cause of disease. It is now recognized as a significant cause of infections in both children and adults. To determine if this increase was due to the recent introduction and spread of a single clone of GBS-V, we analyzed, by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), the SmaI chromosomal DNA digests of 45 bacteria: 41 isolated from human infections between 1986 and 1996 in the United States, 2 from human infections in Argentina, and 2 from naturally infected mice. Seventeen patterns were found and arbitrarily designated patterns A to Q. Pattern N constituted 24 (53%) of the isolates and was found in all of the years tested and from all surveillance areas, as well as in both isolates from Argentina, and was very similar to the GBS-V isolated from a mouse. Pattern P was found in three isolates, pattern F was found in two, and the remaining patterns were found in one isolate each. We concluded that the majority of isolates of GBS-V are of one PFGE subtype and that this subtype was predominate before the increase in disease caused by GBS-V and that GBS-V disease is caused by several different subtypes.

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