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Group B streptococcus (GBS) late-onset disease (LOD, occurring from 7 through 89 days of life) is an important cause of sepsis and meningitis in infants. The pathogenesis and modes of transmission of LOD to neonates are yet to be elucidated. Established risk factors for the incidence of LOD include maternal GBS colonisation, young maternal age, preterm birth, HIV exposure and African ethnicity. The mucosal colonisation by GBS may be acquired perinatally or in the postpartum period from maternal or other sources. Growing evidence has demonstrated the predominant role of maternal sources in the transmission of LOD. Intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) to prevent early-onset disease reduces neonatal GBS colonisation during delivery; however, a significant proportion of IAP-exposed neonates born to GBS-carrier mothers acquire the pathogen at mucosal sites in the first weeks of life. GBS-infected breast milk, with or without presence of mastitis, is considered a potential vehicle for transmitting GBS. Furthermore, horizontal transmission is possible from nosocomial and other community sources. Although unfrequently reported, nosocomial transmission of GBS in the neonatal intensive care unit is probably less rare than is usually believed. GBS disease can sometime recur and is usually caused by the same GBS serotype that caused the primary infection. This review aims to discuss the dynamics of transmission of GBS in the neonatal LOD.

Oncological patients are particularly prone to the onset of septic complications such as abdominal abscesses. The aim of our study was to analyze clinical and microbiological data in a population of oncological patients, submitted to percutaneous ultrasound-guided drainage (PUD) for postoperative abdominal abscesses.Data from 24 patients operated on for neoplastic pathologies and treated with PUD for abdominal abscesses during the postoperative period were reviewed. In all cases cultural examination with antibiogram was performed.In 5 out of 24 patients (20.8%), the abdominal abscesses appeared after the discharge, with a mean hospital stay of 34.2 ± 24.9 days. In six out of 24 patients (25%) there were multiple abscesses localizations. The cultural examination was positive in 23 patients and negative only in one patient. Abscesses localized only in the upper abdominal regions had a significant prevalence of monomicrobial cultural examinations (57.1%) with respect to the results for abscesses placed in the lower abdominal regions, that were polymicrobial in 88.8% of cases (p= 0.027). An antibiogram demonstrated a stronger activity of beta-lactamines, chinolones, and glycopeptides with respect to aminogycosides, cephalosporins, and metronidazole.In oncological patients, the planning of the empiric antibiotic therapy should be based on the anatomotopographic localization of the abdominal abscess and on the typology of the operation performed giving preference to beta-lactamines, chinolones and glycopeptides.