Abstract
Infection by group B streptococcus (GBS) is an important cause of bacterial disease in neonates, pregnant women, and nonpregnant adults. Whereas serotypes Ia, Ib, II, III, and V are most commonly associated with colonization and disease in the United States, strains of other serotypes have been isolated from patients in Japan. By use of an inhibition ELISA, the serotypes of 73 vaginal colonizing GBS strains isolated from healthy pregnant Japanese women were investigated. Twenty-six (35.6%) were type VIII, 18 (24.7%) were type VI, and the remaining 29 were distributed among more traditional serotypes. Strains were also tested by immunoblot for the presence of GBS surface proteins. Fifty-three (72.6%) of the 73 strains expressed one or more laddering GBS proteins. These data show that type VI and VIII GBS strains are common vaginal isolates in pregnant Japanese women and that one or more laddering proteins are present in most GBS strains.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1030-1033 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Journal of Infectious Diseases |
| Volume | 179 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1999 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Received 2 July 1998; revised 12 October 1998. Presented in part: 37th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Toronto, Canada, 29 September 1997 (abstract K-80). Informed consent was obtained from patients. Financial support: NIH (grants AI-01388, AI-38424, AI23339, contracts AI-25152, AI-75326). The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Health and Human Services nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the US government. Reprints or correspondence: Dr. Catherine S. Lachenauer, Channing Laboratory, 181 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115 (clachenauer@ channing.harvard.edu).