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Updated: Aug 2, 2026
A Murine Model of Group B Streptococcus Vaginal Colonization
Published on: November 16, 2016
Disease burden and antimicrobial resistance of invasive group B streptococcus among infants in China: a protocol for
Wenjing Ji1,2,3,4, Haiying Liu5, Zhengjiang Jin6
1The Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 76 Yanta West Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, People's Republic of China.
Insights
This study assesses Group B Streptococcus (GBS) in Chinese infants, evaluating infection rates, resistance, and outcomes. Findings will guide clinical practice and prevention strategies for GBS disease.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal infectious diseases
- Microbiology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Group B Streptococcus (GBS) causes serious infections like sepsis, pneumonia, and meningitis in infants under three months.
- The disease burden of GBS in China is largely unknown, hindering targeted public health attention.
- Understanding GBS epidemiology is crucial for developing effective prevention and treatment strategies in neonates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence of neonatal GBS infection in China.
- To evaluate GBS serotypes, genotypes, antimicrobial resistance, and clinical outcomes in Chinese infants.
- To establish the GBS case-fatality ratio in the studied population.
Main Methods:
- A nationwide, multi-center, prospective, observational cohort study conducted from May 2016 to December 2017, with retrospective data collection from January 2015 to April 2016.
- Inclusion of 18 tertiary care hospitals across China, covering diverse geographical regions.
- GBS isolates were serotyped, genotyped using Multi-locus Sequence Typing (MLST), and antimicrobial susceptibility was tested, including the detection of specific resistance genes via PCR.
Main Results:
- This section is not available in the provided abstract.
- This section is not available in the provided abstract.
- This section is not available in the provided abstract.
Conclusions:
- This is the first national study to estimate invasive GBS disease burden and antimicrobial resistance in Chinese infants.
- Study findings will inform clinical practice for timely GBS diagnosis and preventive measure decisions.
- Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance is essential for promoting rational antibiotic use in GBS infections.
Background:
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a cause of neonatal sepsis, pneumonia, and meningitis that can lead to neurological sequelae in infants less than 3 months of age. The GBS disease burden is not known in China, therefore it cannot receive major attention. The main objectives of this study are the evaluation of the incidence of neonatal GBS infection, GBS case-fatality ratio, its serotypes and genotypes, bacterial resistance, clinical treatment and outcomes in China.
Methods:
We are conducting a nation-wide, population-based, multi-center, prospective, observational cohort study in China from May 2016 to December 2017. Eighteen large urban tertiary care hospitals from 16 provinces were selected that cover the eastern, southern, western, northern and central regions of China. Meanwhile, we retrospectively collected data and GBS strains from January 2015 to April 2016 from selected hospitals. The incidence rate per 1000 live births will be defined as the total number of confirmed GBS cases born in the selected hospitals divided by the number of live births in the hospitals during the study period. All GBS cases detected in selected hospitals will be used to calculate the case-fatality ratio and for the typing analysis. GBS isolates will be serotyped using the Strep-B-Latex® rapid latex agglutination test for serotyping of Group B streptococci. Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) will be performed by sequencing the internal fragments of seven house-keeping genes. Antimicrobial susceptibility will be tested per interpretive standards established by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. The presence of the common resistance genes ermA, ermB, mefA, tetI, tetO and tetM will be tested by PCR.
Discussion:
We are conducting the first national study to estimate the invasive GBS disease burden and antimicrobial resistance of GBS among infants in China. Study findings will provide important evidence for improving clinical practice to ensure timely diagnosis of GBS disease and decisions for preventive measures. Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance will promote the rational use of antimicrobials.
Trial Registration:
The study was retrospectively registered at http://clinicaltrials.gov on June 13, 2016. It was granted a registration number of "NCT02812576".
