Population structure of group B streptococcus from a low-incidence region for invasive neonatal disease

• Published in: Microbiology (Society for General Microbiology) Vol. 151; no. 6; pp. 1875 - 1881
• Main Authors: Bisharat, Naiel, Jones, Nicola, Marchaim, Dror, Block, Colin, Harding, Rosalind M, Yagupsky, Pablo, Peto, Tim, Crook, Derrick W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reading Soc General Microbiol 01-06-2005; Society for General Microbiology
• Subjects: Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Carrier State - epidemiology; Carrier State - microbiology; DNA, Bacterial - chemistry; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genotype; Humans; Incidence; Infant, Newborn; Israel - epidemiology; Microbiology; Molecular Epidemiology; Pathogenicity, virulence, toxins, bacteriocins, pyrogens, host-bacteria relations, miscellaneous strains; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Serotyping; Streptococcal Infections - epidemiology; Streptococcal Infections - microbiology; Streptococcus; Streptococcus agalactiae - classification; Streptococcus agalactiae - genetics; Streptococcus agalactiae - isolation & purification; Asia; Israel; Human; Streptococcaceae; Newborn; Streptococcus B; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Population structure; Epidemiology; Serotyping
• ISSN: 1350-0872; 1465-2080
• DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.27826-0

1 Department of Medicine C, Ha'Emek Medical Center, Afula, Israel
2 Department of Microbiology, Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
3 Departments of Bacteriology and Infectious Diseases, Soroka Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
4 Clinical Microbiology Unit, Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Hadassah-Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel
5 The Oxford Centre for Gene Function, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
6 The Academic Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Correspondence Naiel Bisharat bisharat_na{at}clalit.org.il
The population structure of group B streptococcus (GBS) from a low-incidence region for invasive neonatal disease (Israel) was investigated using multilocus genotype data. The strain collection consisted of isolates from maternal carriage ( n =104) and invasive neonatal disease ( n =50), resolving into 46 sequence types. The most prevalent sequence types were ST-1 (17·5 %), ST-19 (10·4 %), ST-17 (9·7 %), ST-22 (8·4 %) and ST-23 (6·5 %). Serotype III was the most common, accounting for 29·2 % of the isolates. None of the serotypes was significantly associated with invasive neonatal disease. BURST analysis resolved the 46 sequence types into seven lineages (clonal complexes), from which only lineage ST-17, expressing serotype III only, was significantly associated with invasive neonatal disease. Lineage ST-22 expressed mainly serotype II, and was significantly associated with carriage. The distribution of the various sequence types and lineages, and the association of lineage ST-17 with invasive disease, are consistent with the results of analyses from a global GBS isolate collection. These findings could imply that the global variation in disease incidence is independent of the circulating GBS populations, and may be more affected by other risk factors for invasive GBS disease, or by different prevention strategies.
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; GBS, group B streptococcus; MLEE, multilocus enzyme electrophoresis; MLST, multilocus sequence typing; NT, non-typable; OR, odds ratio; ST, sequence type
The work was done at the microbiology laboratory, Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, UK.