Streptococcus agalactiae in childbearing age immigrant women in Comunitat Valenciana (Spain)

Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) remains the leading cause of meningitis and neonatal sepsis in the world, and causes disease in pregnant and puerperal women. This is a retrospective study of GBS infections on women of childbearing age living in Comunitat Valenciana, Spain (years 2009-2014) and GBS colonization rate on pregnant women attending Hospital La Fe (years 2013-2015) according to their origin. An aggregated total of 6,641,960 women exposed during the study period had an average GBS isolation rate of 5.19 parts per thousand (5.14-5.25 parts per thousand), geographical group rates being: Western Europe (2.2 parts per thousand), North America (2.1 parts per thousand), Australia (3.7 parts per thousand), Spain (4.6 parts per thousand), Latin America II (4.5 parts per thousand), Eastern Europe (5.3 parts per thousand), Asia (6.7 parts per thousand), Latin America I (7.7 parts per thousand), Middle East (7.9 parts per thousand), Indian Subcontinent (17.2 parts per thousand), North Africa (17.8 parts per thousand), Sub-Saharan Africa (22.7 parts per thousand). The 4532 pregnant women studied had an average GBS colonization rate of 12.47% (11.51-13.43) and geographical group rates varied similar to geographical isolation rates. Low GDP and high temperatures of the birth country were associated with higher colonization rates. Thus, differences in GBS colonization depend on the country of origin; Africa and the Indian subcontinent presented the highest, while Western Europe and North America had the lowest. This variability portrays a geographical pattern influenced by temperature and GDP.