1. Maternal Carriage in Late-Onset Group B Streptococcus Disease, Italy.
- Author
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Berardi, Alberto, Spada, Caterina, Creti, Roberta, Auriti, Cinzia, Gambini, Lucia, Rizzo, Vittoria, Capretti, Mariagrazia, Laforgia, Nicola, Papa, Irene, Tarocco, Anna, Lanzoni, Angela, Biasucci, Giacomo, Piccinini, Giancarlo, Nardella, Giovanna, Latorre, Giuseppe, Merazzi, Daniele, Travan, Laura, Letizia, Maria, Reggiani, Bacchi, and Baroni, Lorenza
- Abstract
We retrospectively investigated mother-to-infant transmission of group B Streptococcus (GBS) in 98 cases of lateonset disease reported during 2007-2018 by a network in Italy. Mothers with full assessment of vaginal/rectal carriage tested at prenatal screening (APS) and at time of late onset (ATLO) were included. Thirty-three mothers (33.7%) were never GBS colonized; 65 (66.3%) were vaginal/rectal colonized, of which 36 (36.7%) were persistently colonized. Mothers with vaginal/rectal colonization ATLO had high rates of GBS bacteriuria (33.9%) and positive breast milk culture (27.5%). GBS strains from mother-infant pairs were serotype III and possessed the surface protein antigen Rib. All but 1 strain belonged to clonal complex 17. GBS strains from 4 mother-infant pairs were indistinguishable through pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. At least two thirds of late-onset cases are transmitted from mothers, who often have vaginal/rectal carriage, positive breast milk culture, or GBS bacteriuria, which suggests heavy maternal colonization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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