Journal
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE
Volume 100, Issue 5, Pages 1115-1117Publisher
AMER SOC TROP MED & HYGIENE
DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.18-0847
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Funding
- Neonatology Division of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
- Melissa Ketunuti Basselier Endowment at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) [R56 AI136499]
- Penn Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), an NIH [P30 AI045008]
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Maternal rectovaginal colonization is the major risk factor for early-onset neonatal sepsis due to Group B Streptococcus (GBS), a major cause of early life morbidity and mortality. Transmission generally occurs perinatally from colonized mothers to infants. Vaccines targeting a subset of GBS serotypes are under development, but GBS epidemiology remains poorly understood in many African nations. We performed a cross-sectional study of GBS colonization among pregnant women at two sites in Botswana, a country with minimal prior GBS carriage data. We found a rectovaginal colonization rate of 19%, comparable with studies in other regions; however, we also noted a striking predominance of serotype V (>45% of strains). Although further studies are required to delineate the burden of invasive GBS disease in Botswana and the generalizability of type V epidemiology, these data provide a useful baseline for understanding the potential local impact of GBS prevention strategies, including vaccines.
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