This is the first report on a population-based prospective study of invasive group B streptococcus (GBS) disease among children aged <15 years conducted over a period of 11 years in Japan. This study investigated the incidence and clinical manifestations of invasive GBS disease in children in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, and analysed the serotypes and drug susceptibility of GBS strains isolated during the study period. Overall, 127 episodes of invasive GBS disease were reported in 123 patients. Of these, 124 were observed in 120 patients aged <1 year, and the remaining three episodes were reported in a 9-year-old child and two 14-year-old children with underlying disease. For patients aged <1 year, the incidence rate per 1000 live births was 0.24 (0.15–0.36). The incidences of early-onset disease and late-onset disease were 0.04 (0.0–0.09) and 0.17 (0.08–0.25), respectively. The rate of meningitis was 45.2%, and the incidence of GBS meningitis was higher than that of other invasive diseases among children in Japan. Of the 109 patients for whom prognosis was available, 7 (6.4%) died and 21 (19.3%) had sequelae. In total, 68 strains were analysed. The most common were serotype III strains (n = 42, 61.8%), especially serotype III/ST17 strains (n = 22, 32.4%). This study showed that the incidence of invasive GBS disease among Japanese children was constant during the study period. Because of the high incidence of meningitis and disease burden, new preventive strategies, such as GBS vaccine, are essential.

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis. We determined the distribution of serotypes and surface protein encoding genes of GBS strains from pregnant and non-pregnant women in Egypt. Vaginal swabs from 364 women were screened by culture and 100 (27·4%) yielded GBS. Serotype V was the most predominant (33%), followed by serotypes II (17%), III (15%), Ia (14%), VI (12%), Ib (8%) and IV (1%). The most common surface protein genes were epsilon (27%), alp3 (26%), bca (18%), rib (16%) and alp2 (10%). Two isolates were negative for surface protein genes. The distribution of serotypes and surface proteins was similar to reports from other parts of the world but the relatively high frequency of serotype VI was a notable feature of the strains from women in Egypt.

To determine if there was an association between recto-vaginal group B streptococcus (GBS) colonization and pre-eclampsia, two cross-sectional studies were conducted using statewide hospital databases. The first study analysed data from the state of Florida, USA, and included 190 645 women who were discharged in 2001. This dataset was used to generate the hypothesis that GBS colonization is associated with pre-eclampsia. The second study tested the GBS hypothesis using the records of 577 153 women who delivered in 2004 or 2005 in Texas, USA. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for the outcome of pre-eclampsia comparing GBS-positive to GBS-negative women were calculated using logistic regression. The aOR for the association between GBS carriage and pre-eclampsia was 0·71 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0·65–0·77] in the Florida dataset. In the Texas dataset, the overall prevalence of GBS carriage was 14·1% while the overall prevalence of pre-eclampsia was 4·0%. GBS carriers were 31% less likely than non-carriers to have pre-eclampsia (aOR 0·69, 95% CI 0·66–0·72) in Texas. In two large statewide analyses, GBS carriage was inversely associated with pre-eclampsia. A sensitivity analysis revealed that misclassification of GBS status is not a likely explanation of our findings.

Endocarditis due to group B streptococcus is very rare in infants, and may be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Review of the literature reveals only a single reported case of an infant with this type of streptococcal endocarditis involving the mitral valve. This infant had underlying congenital heart disease, and died shortly after catheterization. We now report group B streptococcal endocarditis occurring in an infant with a structurally normal heart who was treated successfully by replacement of the mitral valve.

Streptococcus agalactiae is a genetically diverse organism; when typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), multiple types appear within a single serotype. We tested whether S. agalactiae PFGE types correspond to a specific serotype within individuals, and different individuals from the same geographic area. A total of 872 S. agalactiae isolates from 152 healthy individuals were classified by PFGE and capsular serotype. Serotype V was the most homogeneous (Simpson's diversity index 0·54); and types III, II and Ib were mostly heterogeneous (Simpson's diversity index ⩾0·90). Within an individual, isolates with the same PFGE patterns had identical capsular types, but across individuals the same PFGE types sometimes occurred in different serotypes. Capsular type alone is insufficient to define epidemiological relatedness. Although PFGE types appear to be a valid surrogate for capsular typing of isolates from the same individual, it is not a valid surrogate for serotype in isolates from different individuals.