Characterization and whole-genome sequencing data of a highly pathogenic group B Streptococcus strain related to...

Group B Streptococcus (GBS), a primary pathogen associated with perinatal and maternal infections, can lead to severe complications such as preterm birth, miscarriage, and stillbirth. In this study, we report the isolation of GBS from the blood of a patient with sepsis who had delivered a stillborn. Genome sequencing was performed using the Pacbio Sequel II and DNBSEQ platform. GBS-B4009 contained a circular chromosome with a total length of 2,277,992 bp and the GC content of the chromosome was determined to be 35.97 %. The whole genome sequence contained 2256 predicted coding sequences, including 21 ribosomal RNA (rRNA), 81 transfer RNA (tRNA), and 24 small RNAs (sRNAs). Additionally, we also isolated GBS from two additional pregnant women: GBS-M14, isolated from the pregnant woman whose newborn developed an early-onset GBS infection (EOGBS), and GBS-M18, isolated from the pregnant woman whose newborn remained healthy. Further analysis of the three genomes revealed unique genetic features in each strain, providing insights into the genetic diversity of GBS and its role in different clinical outcomes. Sequences and sample data for all three strains have been deposited in GenBank under accession numbers CP163561 (GBS-B4009), CP180685 (GBS-M14) and CP180684 (GBS-M18).