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A Murine Model of Group B Streptococcus Vaginal Colonization
Published on: November 16, 2016
Temporal Changes in Invasive Group B Streptococcus Serotypes: Implications for Vaccine Development
Ziyaad Dangor1,2,3, Clare L Cutland1,2, Alane Izu1,2
1Medical Research Council: Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Insights
Invasive group B Streptococcus (GBS) disease remains a significant threat in South Africa, with persistently high incidence rates. Serotype distribution shows shifts, with increasing Ia and decreasing III, impacting vaccine development strategies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Microbiology
- Vaccinology
Background:
- Limited longitudinal data exists on the serotype-specific burden of invasive group B Streptococcus (GBS) disease in low-middle income countries.
- Understanding GBS epidemiology is crucial for informing the selection of vaccine epitopes and developing effective prevention strategies.
- South Africa, a setting with limited GBS data, provides a critical context for this research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the longitudinal, serotype-specific incidence of invasive GBS disease in infants in Soweto, South Africa.
- To analyze trends in GBS serotype distribution over a decade.
- To provide data that can inform the development of GBS vaccines.
Main Methods:
- A decade-long surveillance study (2005-2014) was conducted at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Soweto.
- Invasive GBS disease cases were identified in infants younger than 90 days through sentinel laboratory and hospital admission surveillance.
- Serotype-specific incidence and trends were calculated and analyzed.
Main Results:
- A total of 820 invasive GBS cases were identified, with 55% being early-onset disease (EOD).
- The overall incidence of invasive GBS disease was 2.59 per 1,000 live births.
- Significant year-on-year changes included a 9.4% increase in serotype Ia and a 7.4% decrease in serotype III; serotypes Ia, III, and V were most common.
Conclusions:
- Invasive GBS disease incidence remains persistently high in this South African setting.
- While some shifts in serotype distribution were observed, the dominant serotypes largely remained consistent.
- These findings highlight the ongoing burden of GBS and the need for effective interventions, including vaccination.
Introduction:
There is a paucity of longitudinal data on the serotype-specific burden of invasive group B Streptococcus (GBS) disease from low-middle income countries, which could inform selection of vaccine epitopes.
Methods:
From 2005 to 2014, infants less than 90 days of age with invasive GBS disease were identified through sentinel laboratory and hospital admission surveillance at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto, South Africa.
Results:
We identified 820 cases of invasive GBS disease, including 55% among newborns <7 days age (i.e. early-onset disease; EOD). The overall incidence (per 1,000 live births) of invasive GBS disease was 2.59 (95% CI: 2.42-2.77), including 1.41 (95% CI: 1.28-1.55) for EOD and 1.18 (95% CI: 1.06-1.30) in infants 7-89 days age (late-onset disease). Year-on-year, from 2005 to 2014, we observed a 9.4% increase in incidence of serotype Ia invasive disease (RR: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.04-1.15; p<0.001), and a 7.4% decline in serotype III invasive disease (RR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.90-0.96; p<0.001). Overall, serotypes Ia (28.2%), III (55.4%) and V (7.9%) were the commonest disease causing serotypes.
Conclusions:
The incidence of invasive GBS disease has remained persistently high in our setting, with some changes in serotype distribution, albeit mainly involving the same group of dominant serotypes.
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