Abstract
The distribution of serotypes of group B streptococci (GBS) isolated from 67 infants with early-onset sepsis are described. Case-infants were assembled from 13 hospitals across the United States from 15 July 1995 to 5 February 1997 through prospective active surveillance. The distribution of GBS serotypes was Ia, 40%; Ib, 9%; II, 6%; III, 27%; V, 15%; and nontypeable, 3%. Type V occurred more frequently in the northeast region (New York and New Jersey) than in other regions (29% vs. 9%, P = .06). Conversely, type III occurred significantly less frequently in the northeast region than other regions (10% vs. 35%, P = .04). GBS types Ia, III, and V accounted for 82% of the isolates. This report supports previous observations about the emergence of GBS type V, but our data caution that conclusions about serotype distributions based on one geographic location or on a small number of patients may not be generally applicable. Continued monitoring seems necessary for the design of a GBS vaccine.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 790-792 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Journal of Infectious Diseases |
Volume | 177 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1998 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; Children’s Hospital Medical Center of Northern California, Oakland, California; Columbia University Health Sciences, New York, New York; Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas; University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama; University of Dentistry and Medicine of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey; University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Funding Information:
Received 7 July 1997; revised 30 September 1997. Presented in part: 35th annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, San Francisco, 13–16 September 1997 (abstract 454). The study was approved by the institutional review board (IRB) of each participating institution and informed consent was obtained from parents of infants in the study where required by the IRB. Financial support: NIH (HD-43214, HD-43215, HD-43217, HD-43218, HD-43219, HD-43220). Reprints or correspondence: Dr. Feng-Ying C. Lin, Bldg. 6100, Room 7B03, 9000 Rockville Pike, MSC 7510, Bethesda, MD 20892-7510.
Funding Information:
This report describes the distribution of GBS serotypes from 67 neonates with early-onset GBS sepsis in a nationwide multicenter study sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development from 15 July 1995 to 5 February 1997.