Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Ankurita Bhowmik, Phatchada Chunhavacharatorn, Sharanya Bhargav, Akshit Malhotra, Akalya Sendrayakannan, Prashant S. S. Kharkar, Nilesh Prakash Nirmal, Ashwini Chauhan
Summary: This review summarizes the potential of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) as antibacterial and antibiofilm agents, highlighting their prospects in new-age therapeutic interventions.
Article
Immunology
Preeti P. John, Brady C. Baker, Santosh Paudel, Lauren Nassour, Hayden Cagle, Ritwij Kulkarni
Summary: The study found that exposure to moderate glycosuria significantly increased bacterial growth and virulence characteristics in a mouse model of UTI, enhancing bacterial adhesion to human bladder cells, increasing resistance to antimicrobial peptides, and enhancing bacterial hemolytic ability.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Marlyd E. Mejia, Samantha Ottinger, Alison Vrbanac, Priyanka Babu, Jacob J. Zulk, David Moorshead, Lars Bode, Victor Nizet, Kathryn A. Patras
Summary: Human milk oligosaccharides have shown promising inhibitory activity against Group B Streptococcus (GBS) in the vaginal microbiota, reducing GBS burdens without significant impact on the vaginal microbiota composition.
Article
Microbiology
Marlyd E. Mejia, Samantha Ottinger, Alison Vrbanac, Priyanka Babu, Jacob J. Zulk, David Moorshead, Lars Bode, Victor Nizet, Kathryn A. Patras
Summary: HMOs extracted from breastmilk have been found to reduce GBS burdens in the vagina without major impacts on the vaginal microbiota. This discovery suggests that HMOs may be a promising alternative for treating GBS colonization.
Review
Microbiology
Anna Furuta, Alyssa Brokaw, Gygeria Manuel, Matthew Dacanay, Lauren Marcell, Ravin Seepersaud, Lakshmi Rajagopal, Kristina Adams Waldorf
Summary: Group B streptococci (GBS) are bacteria that can cause serious infections in newborns, leading to significant neurodevelopmental injury and disability.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Hidehito Matsui, Jumpei Uchiyama, Masaya Ogata, Tadahiro Nasukawa, Iyo Takemura-Uchiyama, Shin-ichiro Kato, Hironobu Murakami, Masato Higashide, Hideaki Hanaki
Summary: This study demonstrates that treatment with a recombinant endolysin specific to Enterococcus faecalis potentially improves the accuracy of prenatal GBS screening test by enriching Group B Streptococcus (GBS) and increasing the GBS-positive ratio. The presence of commensal bacteria such as Enterococcus faecalis in clinical specimens can inhibit GBS growth in selective enrichment culture, leading to false-negative results. The application of originally isolated endolysin in the enrichment culture inhibits unwanted E. faecalis growth, thereby avoiding false-negative results in both experimental settings and tests using vaginal swabs.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rebecca E. Moore, Steven D. Townsend, Jennifer A. Gaddy
Summary: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a pathogen causing severe perinatal infections, but human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) have antimicrobial effects against GBS and can enhance antibiotic activity against this bacterium.
Article
Immunology
John M. McLaughlin, Paula Peyrani, Stephen Furmanek, Farid L. Khan, Angela Quinn, Luis Jodar, Julio Ramirez, David L. Swerdlow
Summary: A population-based study in adults found the annual incidence of GBS-associated hospitalization to be 73 per 100,000 adults, with noninvasive GBS infections occurring 3.7 times more often than invasive infections. This suggests that the burden of GBS among adults is greater than previously recognized.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Justina Bramugy, Humberto Mucasse, Sergio Massora, Pio Vitorino, Celine Aerts, Inacio Mandomando, Proma Paul, Jaya Chandna, Farah Seedat, Joy E. Lawn, Azucena Bardaji, Quique Bassat
Summary: Invasive group B Streptococcus disease (iGBS) in infancy, including meningitis or sepsis, carries a high risk of mortality and neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI). A study conducted in Mozambique found that iGBS remains a significant cause of perinatal and infant disease and death, and surviving GBS exposes infants to an increased risk of long-term neurodevelopmental sequelae, highlighting the importance of maternal GBS vaccination strategies.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Cassandra R. Duffy, Yongmei Huang, Maria Andrikopoulou, Conrad N. Stern-Ascher, Jason D. Wright, Mary E. D'Alton, Alexander M. Friedman
Summary: This study describes the trends in vancomycin use among women with GBS colonization during vaginal delivery. The results show a significant increase in the use of vancomycin in recent years. Variation in vancomycin administration among hospitals was also observed.
JOURNAL OF MATERNAL-FETAL & NEONATAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Maha Alzayer, Manal M. Alkhulaifi, Ahmed Alyami, Mohammed Aldosary, Abdulaziz Alageel, Ghada Garaween, Atef Shibl, Arif M. Al-Hamad, Michel Doumith
Summary: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) has emerged as an important cause of severe infections in adults. This study investigated the epidemiology of GBS in Saudi Arabia and found that serotypes III and V were the most prevalent, and most isolates harbored pilus island 1 and 2a types. The isolates exhibited high levels of resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin, which require further surveillance.
JOURNAL OF GLOBAL ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Estefani Luna, Shanthi G. Parkar, Nina Kirmiz, Stephanie Hartel, Erik Hearn, Marziiah Hossine, Arinnae Kurdian, Claudia Mendoza, Katherine Orr, Loren Padilla, Katherine Ramirez, Priscilla Salcedo, Erik Serrano, Biswa Choudhury, Mousumi Paulchakrabarti, Craig T. Parker, Steven Huynh, Kerry Cooper, Gilberto E. Flores
Summary: This study examined the capability of Akkermansia strains to utilize human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). The results showed that strains representing different phylogroups of Akkermansia had varied metabolic potentials to degrade HMOs and were able to grow on HMOs and produce metabolites. These interactions between Akkermansia and HMOs potentially influence gut microbial ecology in early life, which is critical for the development of the gut microbiome and infant health.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Georgina Constantinou, Susan Ayers, Eleanor J. Mitchell, Kate F. Walker, Jane Daniels, Sarah Moore, Anne-Marie Jones, Soo Downe
Summary: 20-25% of pregnant women in the UK carry group B streptococcus (GBS), which can be transmitted to babies during birth and cause significant mortality and morbidity in newborns. Women's knowledge of GBS is low and attitudes towards GBS testing have not been widely examined. This study aims to explore women's knowledge of GBS and their attitudes towards GBS testing.
BMC PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Mads Andersen, Birgitte Smith, May Murra, Stine Yde Nielsen, Hans-Christian Slotved, Tine Brink Henriksen
Summary: This study investigated GBS serotypes and clonal complexes in Danish infants with early and late onset infections, finding potential associations between GBS strains and clinical outcomes. The results highlight the importance of ongoing surveillance of infant GBS strains and their clinical characteristics to optimize the development of vaccines and treatments.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Aiyun Li, Ming Fang, Dongjie Hao, Qiaoai Wu, Yaqi Qian, Hao Xu, Bo Zhu
Summary: Through whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, this study confirmed that a premature infant's late-onset group B Streptococcus (LOGBS) sepsis originated from his mother's breast milk. This finding suggests that WGS diagnosis is an effective tool for infection tracing and provides direction for preventing late-onset GBS infection.
INFECTION AND DRUG RESISTANCE
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Elliott Mark Weiss, Aleksandra E. Olszewski, Katherine F. Guttmann, Brooke E. Magnus, Sijia Li, Anita R. Shah, Sandra E. Juul, Yvonne W. Wu, Kaashif A. Ahmad, Ellen Bendel-Stenzel, Natalia A. Isaza, Andrea L. Lampland, Amit M. Mathur, Rakesh Rao, David Riley, David G. Russell, Zeynep N. I. Salih, Carrie B. Torr, Joern-Hendrik Weitkamp, Uchenna E. Anani, Taeun Chang, Juanita Dudley, John Flibotte, Erin M. Havrilla, Charmaine M. Kathen, Alexandra C. O'Kane, Krystle Perez, Brenda J. Stanley, Benjamin S. Wilfond, Seema K. Shah
Summary: This study identified that factors associated with neonatal clinical trial enrollment included demographic characteristics (such as race/ethnicity, Medicaid status, and reported income), perception of illness, and trust in medical researchers. Future research to confirm and explore these findings may lead to strategies for better engaging underrepresented groups in neonatal clinical research to reduce enrollment disparities.
Article
Pediatrics
Rose M. Viscardi, Michael L. Terrin, Laurence S. Magder, Natalie L. Davis, Susan J. Dulkerian, Ken B. Waites, Marilee Allen, Ajoke Ajayi-Akintade, Namasivayam Ambalavanan, David A. Kaufman, Pamela Donohue, Deborah J. Tuttle, Jorn-Hendrik Weitkamp
Summary: The study found no significant difference in long-term pulmonary and neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants treated with azithromycin in the first week of life compared to a placebo. Infants with tracheal aspirate Ureaplasma positivity had a higher risk of death or serious respiratory morbidity at 22-26 months corrected age.
PEDIATRIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Bin Ni, Erin Gettler, Rebecca Stern, Heather M. Munro, Mark Steinwandel, Melinda C. Aldrich, Debra L. Friedman, Maureen Sanderson, David Schlundt, David M. Aronoff, Deepak K. Gupta, Martha J. Shrubsole, Loren Lipworth
Summary: Disruptions to healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic were primarily driven by health system-initiated deferrals and individual perceptions of COVID-19 risk, disproportionately affecting different population groups.
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Junaid Iqbal, Niharika Malviya, Jennifer A. Gaddy, Chengxian Zhang, Andrew J. Seier, Kathryn P. Haley, Ryan S. Doster, Ana E. Farfan-Garcia, Oscar G. Gomez-Duarte
Summary: This study characterized the biofilm formation phenotype of BF-EIEC O96:H19 strain 52.1 isolated from children with moderate-to-severe gastroenteritis in Colombia, and identified the importance of pgaB and pgaC genes in N-acetylglucosamine-mediated biofilm formation. BF-EIEC O96:H19 exhibits both cell invasion and strong biofilm formation capabilities, which are associated with in vitro cell cytotoxicity.
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Pediatrics
Parvesh Mohan Garg, Jaslyn L. Paschal, Md Abu Yusuf Ansari, Danielle Block, Kengo Inagaki, Joern-Hendrik Weitkamp
Summary: This study retrospectively analyzed the risk factors and outcomes of infants with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)-associated sepsis. The results showed that NEC-associated sepsis was associated with lower birth weight, higher rates of mechanical ventilation, and longer postoperative ileus. Cholestasis was identified as an independent risk factor for NEC-associated sepsis.
PEDIATRIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Pediatrics
Meredith S. Campbell, Lisa A. Bastarache, Sara L. Van Driest, Margaret A. Adgent, Jeffery A. Goldstein, Joern-Hendrik Weitkamp, Meaghan A. Ransom, Rolanda L. Lister, Elaine L. Shelton, Jennifer M. S. Sucre
Summary: This study found that polyhydramnios may be a clinical indicator of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and preterm polyhydramnios may indicate an increased risk of developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia in premature infants. Combining curated registry data with PheWAS analysis provides a valuable tool for generating hypotheses about perinatal risk factors and morbidities associated with preterm birth.
PEDIATRIC RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Brandon Harrison-Smith, Alexander P. Dumont, Mohammed Shahriar Arefin, Yu Sun, Nuradeen Lawal, Dorianna Dobson, Amy Nwaba, Sarah Grossarth, Abdulsalam Muhammed Paed, Zubaida L. Farouk, Jorn-Hendrik Weitkamp, Chetan A. Patil
Summary: A mobile phone-based approach for neonatal jaundice screening was developed and validated in a pilot study. The results show that a modified adapter attached to a mobile phone can be used to measure neonatal bilirubin values, providing a novel tool for jaundice screening in low-resource settings.
BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS
(2022)
Article
Pediatrics
Elise Mank, Miguel Saenz de Pipaon, Alexandre Lapillonne, Virgilio P. Carnielli, Thibault Senterre, Raanan Shamir, Letty van Toledo, Johannes B. van Goudoever
Summary: This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of supplementing preterm infants with different dosages of human insulin to improve feeding intolerance. The results showed that compared with placebo, both low-dose and high-dose human insulin significantly reduced the time for preterm infants to achieve full enteral feeding.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Y. W. Wu, B. A. Comstock, F. F. Gonzalez, D. E. Mayock, A. M. Goodman, N. L. Maitre, T. Chang, K. P. Van Meurs, A. L. Lampland, E. Bendel-Stenzel, A. M. Mathur, T-W Wu, D. Riley, U. Mietzsch, L. Chalak, J. Flibotte, J-H Weitkamp, K. A. Ahmad, T. D. Yanowitz, M. Baserga, B. B. Poindexter, E. E. Rogers, J. R. Lowe, K. C. K. Kuban, T. M. O'Shea, J. L. Wisnowski, R. C. McKinstry, S. Bluml, S. Bonifacio, K. L. Benninger, R. Rao, C. D. Smyser, G. M. Sokol, S. Merhar, M. D. Schreiber, H. C. Glass, P. J. Heagerty, S. E. Juul
Summary: The administration of erythropoietin to newborns undergoing therapeutic hypothermia for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy did not result in a lower risk of death or neurodevelopmental impairment than placebo and was associated with a higher rate of serious adverse events.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michelle L. Korir, Ryan S. Doster, Jacky Lu, Miriam A. Guevara, Sabrina K. Spicer, Rebecca E. Moore, Jamisha D. Francis, Lisa M. Rogers, Kathryn P. Haley, Amondrea Blackman, Kristen N. Noble, Alison J. Eastman, Janice A. Williams, Steven M. Damo, Kelli L. Boyd, Steven D. Townsend, C. Henrique Serezani, David M. Aronoff, Shannon D. Manning, Jennifer A. Gaddy
Summary: This study reveals that the gene cadD in Group B Streptococcus (GBS) enhances metal resistance in macrophages, reducing metal toxicity and promoting bacterial proliferation in the pregnant host. Deletion of cadD decreases GBS survival in macrophages and reduces invasion in gestational tissues.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Felicia Kuperwaser, Gal Avital, Michelle J. Vaz, Kristen N. Noble, Allison N. Dammann, Tara M. Randis, David M. Aronoff, Adam J. Ratner, Itai Yanai
Summary: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a pathobiont that ascends to the placenta and causes adverse pregnancy outcomes by producing the toxin beta-hemolysin/cytolysin (beta-h/c). This study shows that GBS modulates the state of innate immune cells by subverting host inflammation through beta-h/c, leading to worse outcomes.
MOLECULAR SYSTEMS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Pediatrics
Kathleen G. Mcclanahan, Jeff Reese, Jorn-Hendrik Weitkamp, Danyvid Olivares-Villagomez
Summary: Commonly used breastmilk pasteurization and storage techniques, such as Holder pasteurization and freezing, decrease the concentration of the bioactive protein osteopontin in human breastmilk. Holder pasteurization reduces osteopontin concentration by an average of 63%, while freezing results in an 8-12% decrease.
PEDIATRIC RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joshua Soto Ocana, Nile U. Bayard, Jessica L. Hart, Audrey K. Thomas, Emma E. Furth, D. Borden Lacy, David M. Aronoff, Joseph P. Zackular
Summary: Clostridioides difficile damages the colonic mucosa through potent exotoxins. The factors contributing to C. difficile pathogenesis are not fully understood, but likely involve ecological, immune, and environmental factors. Recent studies have shown that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs exacerbate C. difficile infection, although the mechanism behind this is unclear.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sean M. Callahan, Trevor J. Hancock, Ryan S. Doster, Caroline B. Parker, Mary E. Wakim, Jennifer A. Gaddy, Jeremiah G. Johnson
Summary: Histone modifications are involved in many processes in eukaryotes, including inflammation. Some bacterial pathogens use sirtuins to alter host histones and induce responses that promote infection. In this study, a Campylobacter jejuni deacetylase with sirtuin activities was found to contribute to activation of human neutrophils. This bacterial sirtuin is secreted into neutrophils, deacetylates host histones, and promotes neutrophil activation and extracellular trap production. The study also showed that this bacterial sirtuin is responsible for the inflammation and pathology observed during campylobacteriosis.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
P. Challa Anup, Xinnan Niu, Etoi A. Garrison, Sara L. Van Driest, Lisa M. Bastarache, Ethan S. Lippmann, Robert R. Lavieri, Jeffery A. Goldstein, David M. Aronoff
Summary: Pregnant people have been systematically excluded from clinical trials, resulting in a lack of safety data for common drugs. This study used electronic health records to investigate the effects of maternal exposure to different drugs on neurodevelopmental defects in their children, and proposed an agile framework for improving medication regulations.
COMMUNICATIONS MEDICINE
(2022)