Alemán Teresa, Vielot Nadja A, Herrera Roberto, Velasquez Reymundo, Berrios Tatiana, Toval-Ruíz Christian, Téllez Evert, Herrera Andres, Aguilar Samir, Becker-Dreps Sylvia, French Neil, Vilchez Samuel
Center of Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, León 00068, Nicaragua.
Center for Demographic and Health Research, Faculty of Medical Sciences, National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, León 00068, Nicaragua.
Pathogens. 2022 Mar 29;11(4):415. doi: 10.3390/pathogens11040415.
Group B (GBS) are important causes of neonatal sepsis and meningitis globally. To elucidate the potential benefits of maternal GBS vaccines, data is needed on the epidemiology of maternal GBS rectovaginal colonization, distribution of serotypes, and resistance to intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP). We collected rectal and vaginal samples from 305 pregnant women in León, Nicaragua between 35 and 40 weeks gestation. Samples were cultured for GBS and confirmed using latex agglutination. GBS isolates underwent serotyping by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing by disk diffusion and microdilution following Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute guidelines. Sixty-three women (20.7%) were colonized with GBS in either the rectum or the vagina. Of 91 GBS isolates collected from positive cultures, most were serotypes II (28.6%), Ia (27.5%), and III (20.9%). Most GBS isolates (52.9%) were resistant to penicillin, the first-line prophylactic antibiotic. Penicillin resistance was highly correlated with resistance to vancomycin, ceftriaxone, and meropenem. The results of our study suggest that one-fifth of pregnant women in the urban area of León, Nicaragua are colonized with GBS and risk transmitting GBS to their offspring during labor. High resistance to commonly available antibiotics in the region suggests that prophylactic maternal GBS vaccination would be an effective alternative to IAP.
B组链球菌（GBS）是全球新生儿败血症和脑膜炎的重要病因。为了阐明母体GBS疫苗的潜在益处，需要有关母体GBS直肠阴道定植的流行病学、血清型分布以及对产时抗生素预防（IAP）的耐药性的数据。我们在尼加拉瓜莱昂收集了305名妊娠35至40周孕妇的直肠和阴道样本。对样本进行GBS培养，并使用乳胶凝集法进行确认。GBS分离株通过定量聚合酶链反应进行血清分型，并按照临床实验室标准协会指南通过纸片扩散法和微量稀释法进行抗菌药敏试验。63名女性（20.7%）在直肠或阴道中被GBS定植。在从阳性培养物中收集的91株GBS分离株中，大多数是血清型II（28.6%）、Ia（27.5%）和III（20.9%）。大多数GBS分离株（52.9%）对一线预防性抗生素青霉素耐药。青霉素耐药性与对万古霉素、头孢曲松和美罗培南的耐药性高度相关。我们的研究结果表明，尼加拉瓜莱昂市区五分之一的孕妇被GBS定植，并且在分娩期间有将GBS传播给其后代的风险。该地区对常用抗生素的高耐药性表明，母体GBS疫苗接种将是IAP的有效替代方法。
