NEONATAL INVASIVE GROUP B STREPTOCOCCAL (GBS) INFECTIONS IN EUROPE

Objectives: To describe clinical characteristics and capsular type of GBS isolates responsible of invasive infections in infants from Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech-Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Spain and United Kingdom, representing one of the main objectives of the DEVANI (DEsign of a Vaccine Against Neonatal Infections) project.
Methods: Surveillance of invasive GBS infections in infants was performed from mid-2008 through December 2010. For each case, a standardized case report form was filled. Samples from cases were processed using local procedures. GBS isolates were characterised in national central labs using standardised type-specific (Ia, Ib-IX) latex agglutination and molecular typing methods.
Results: Data on 188 infants with invasive infection were analysed: 144 (60.6%) early onset diseases (EOD) and 74 (39.4%) late onset diseases (LOD). In EOD, mean/median ages at onset were 14/0 hours and the male:female ratio was 1.25. The predominant manifestation at onset was respiratory distress (42% cases); 83% cases were associated with sepsis/bacteremia, 15% with pneumonia and 6% with meningitis. Late-prenatal screening cultures were obtained from 51% of cases’ mothers and only half of these were positive for GBS. Non-elective C-section, intrapartum fever and rupture of membrane (>18h) were more frequent in EO-cases’ mothers versus healthy babies’ GBS-positive mothers. The major serotypes were III (43%), V (21%) and Ia (18%). In LOD, mean/median ages at onset were 42/34 days and the male:female ratio was 0.9. The predominant characteristic at onset was fever (62% cases); 70% cases were associated with sepsis and 30% with meningitis. Very rare manifestations were osteomyelitis and cellulitis. Serotype III was highly predominant (80.6%) followed mainly by Ia (12.5%). Death rates were 4.7/1.5% in EOD/LOD. Conclusions: Clinical presentations were associated with age at onset of infection. Serotype III predominated in neonatal infections. Prenatal screening was not universal neither sensitive. Study funded through the European Commission Seventh Framework.