A large prospective study of group B Streptococcus carriage in pregnant women in Morocco: prevalence, serotype distribution, antimicrobial resistance and virulence determinants. - 2025
A large prospective study of group B Streptococcus carriage in pregnant women in Morocco: prevalence, serotype distribution, antimicrobial resistance and virulence determinants.
Antibiotic resistance; Capsular polysaccharides serotype; Group B streptococcus; Maternal carriage; Virulence factors
Disciplines :
Laboratory medicine & medical technology
Author, co-author :
Ben-Taleb, Hanane; Laboratory of Biology and Health, Research Center of Biotechnology and Health, Faculty of Sciences Ben M'Sick, University Hassan II of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco ; Department of Clinical Microbiology, National Reference Center for Antibiotic-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacilli, CHU UCL Namur, Yvoir, Belgium ; Laboratory of Pediatric Research, Inflammation Unit, Faculty of Medicine and ULB Center for Immunology (U-CRI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
Amar, Narjis; Laboratory of Biology and Health, Research Center of Biotechnology and Health, Faculty of Sciences Ben M'Sick, University Hassan II of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco ; Laboratory of Pediatric Research, Inflammation Unit, Faculty of Medicine and ULB Center for Immunology (U-CRI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
Chakroun, Azeddine; Laboratory of Biology and Health, Research Center of Biotechnology and Health, Faculty of Sciences Ben M'Sick, University Hassan II of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco ; Laboratory of Pediatric Research, Inflammation Unit, Faculty of Medicine and ULB Center for Immunology (U-CRI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
Nayme, Kaotar; Laboratoire de Bactériologie Moléculaire, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco
Lamrissi, Amine; Service de Maternité, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Ibn Rochd, Casablanca, Morocco
Badre, Amal; Service de Néonatologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Ibn Rochd, Casablanca, Morocco
Mohtadi, Karima; Laboratory of Biology and Health, Research Center of Biotechnology and Health, Faculty of Sciences Ben M'Sick, University Hassan II of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco
Sacheli, Rosalie ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques > Bactériologie, mycologie, parasitologie, virologie et microbiologie
DARFOUF, Rajae ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > > Service de microbiologie clinique
MEEX, Cécile ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > > Service de microbiologie clinique
Bogaerts, Pierre; Department of Clinical Microbiology, National Reference Center for Antibiotic-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacilli, CHU UCL Namur, Yvoir, Belgium
Huang, Te-Din; Department of Clinical Microbiology, National Reference Center for Antibiotic-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacilli, CHU UCL Namur, Yvoir, Belgium
Lebrazi, Halima; Laboratory of Biology and Health, Research Center of Biotechnology and Health, Faculty of Sciences Ben M'Sick, University Hassan II of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco
Saïle, Rachid; Laboratory of Biology and Health, Research Center of Biotechnology and Health, Faculty of Sciences Ben M'Sick, University Hassan II of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco
Chamekh, Mustapha; Laboratory of Pediatric Research, Inflammation Unit, Faculty of Medicine and ULB Center for Immunology (U-CRI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium. mostafa.chamekh@ulb.be
A large prospective study of group B Streptococcus carriage in pregnant women in Morocco: prevalence, serotype distribution, antimicrobial resistance and virulence determinants.
Gibbs RS, Schrag S, Schuchat A. Perinatal Infections Due to Group B Streptococci: Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2004;104(5, Part 1):1062–76.
Committee on Infectious Diseases and Committee on Fetus and Newborn Revised guidelines for prevention of Early-onset group B Streptococcal (GBS) infection Pediatrics 1997 99 3 489 96 10.1542/peds.99.3.489
Barrington K Canadian paediatric Society, fetus and newborn Committee. Management of the infant at increased risk for sepsis Paediatr Child Health 2007 12 10 893 8 10.1093/pch/12.10.893
Krohn MA, Hillier SL, Baker CJ. Maternal peripartum complications associated with vaginal group B Streptococci colonization. J Infect Dis. 1999 June;179(6):1410–5.
Buurman ET, Timofeyeva Y, Gu J, Kim Jhwan, Kodali S, Liu Y et al. A novel hexavalent capsular polysaccharide conjugate vaccine (GBS6) for the prevention of neonatal group b streptococcal infections by maternal immunization. J Infect Dis. 2019 July 1;220(1):105–15.
Jordan HT Farley MM Craig A Mohle-Boetani J Harrison LH Petit S et al. Revisiting the need for vaccine prevention of late-onset neonatal group B Streptococcal disease: a multistate, population-based analysis Pediatr Infect Dis J 2008 27 12 1057 64 10.1097/INF.0b013e318180b3b9 18989238
Paul P Gonçalves BP Le Doare K Lawn JE 20 million pregnant women with group B Streptococcus carriage: consequences, challenges, and opportunities for prevention Curr Opin Pediatr 2023 35 2 223 30 10.1097/MOP.0000000000001223 36749143 9994794
Seale AC Baker CJ Berkley JA Madhi SA Ordi J Saha SK et al. Vaccines for maternal immunization against group B Streptococcus disease: WHO perspectives on case ascertainment and case definitions Vaccine 2019 37 35 4877 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.07.012 31303524 6677922
Carreras-Abad C Ramkhelawon L Heath PT Le Doare K A vaccine against group B streptococcus: recent advances Infect Drug Resist 2020 13 1263 72 10.2147/IDR.S203454 32425562 7196769
Madrid L Seale AC Kohli-Lynch M Edmond KM Lawn JE Heath PT et al. Infant group B Streptococcal disease incidence and serotypes worldwide: systematic review and Meta-analyses Clin Infect Dis 2017 65 suppl2 S160 72 10.1093/cid/cix656 29117326 5850457
Liu Y Liu J Group B Streptococcus Virulence factors and pathogenic mechanism Microorganisms 2022 10 12 2483 10.3390/microorganisms10122483 36557736 9784991
Rajagopal L Understanding the regulation of group B Streptococcal virulence factors Future Microbiol 2009 4 2 201 21 10.2217/17460913.4.2.201 19257847
Russell NJ Seale AC O’Driscoll M O’Sullivan C Bianchi-Jassir F Gonzalez-Guarin J et al. Maternal colonization with group B Streptococcus and serotype distribution worldwide: systematic review and Meta-analyses Clin Infect Dis 2017 65 Suppl 2 S100 11 10.1093/cid/cix658 29117327 5848259
Moraleda C Benmessaoud R Esteban J López Y Alami H Barkat A et al. Prevalence, antimicrobial resistance and serotype distribution of group B Streptococcus isolated among pregnant women and newborns in Rabat, Morocco J Med Microbiol 2018 67 5 652 61 10.1099/jmm.0.000720 29543148
Bassir A, Dhibou H, Farah M, Mohamed L, Amal A, Nabila S et al. Portage vaginal du streptocoque du groupe B chez la femme enceinte au niveau de la région de Marrakech. Pan Afr Med J. [Internet]. 2016 Mar 16 [cited 2021 Apr 23];23(107). Available from: https://www.panafrican-med-journal.com/content/article/23/107/full
Verani JR McGee L Schrag SJ Division of Bacterial Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Prevention of perinatal group B Streptococcal disease–revised guidelines from CDC, 2010 MMWR Recomm Rep 2010 59 RR–10 1 36 21088663
Mudzana R Mavenyengwa RT Gudza-Mugabe M Analysis of virulence factors and antibiotic resistance genes in group B Streptococcus from clinical samples BMC Infect Dis 2021 21 1 125 10.1186/s12879-021-05820-6 33509097 7844887
EUCAST/CA-SFM. Breakpoint tables for interpretation of MICs and zone diameters. Version 1.0. April 2021. [Internet]. European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) and Comité de l’Antibiogramme de la Société Française de Microbiologie (CA-SFM); 2021 [cited 2025 Sept 24]. Available from: https://www.sfm-microbiologie.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/CASFM2021__V1.0.AVRIL_2021.pdf
Poyart C, Tazi A, Réglier-Poupet H, Billoët A, Tavares N, Raymond J, et al. Multiplex PCR assay for rapid and accurate capsular typing of group B Streptococci. J Clin Microbiol. 2007 June;45(6):1985–8.
Dauby N Adler C Miendje Deyi VY Sacheli R Busson L Chamekh M et al. Prevalence, risk Factors, and serotype distribution of group B Streptococcus colonization in HIV-Infected pregnant women living in belgium: A prospective cohort study Open Forum Infect Dis 2018 5 12 ofy320 10.1093/ofid/ofy320 30619909 6306564
Poyart C Jardy L Quesne G Berche P Trieu-Cuot P Genetic basis of antibiotic resistance in Streptococcus agalactiae strains isolated in a French hospital Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2003 47 2 794 7 10.1128/AAC.47.2.794-797.2003 12543695 151750
Bobadilla FJ Novosak MG Cortese IJ Delgado OD Laczeski ME Prevalence, serotypes and virulence genes of Streptococcus agalactiae isolated from pregnant women with 35–37 weeks of gestation BMC Infect Dis 2021 21 73 10.1186/s12879-020-05603-5 33446117 7807883
Alzayer M Alkhulaifi MM Alyami A Aldosary M Alageel A Garaween G et al. Genomic insights into the diversity, virulence, and antimicrobial resistance of group B Streptococcus clinical isolates from Saudi Arabia Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024 14 1377993 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1377993 38711928 11070470
Kharrat R Ben Ayed N Ktari S Regaieg C Mezghani S Hmida N et al. Group B Streptococcus and perinatality in the South of tunisia: Epidemiology, serotype Distribution, and antibiotic susceptibility Fetal Pediatr Pathol 2024 43 1 21 32 10.1080/15513815.2023.2287519 38069499
Shabayek S Abdalla S Abouzeid AM Serotype and surface protein gene distribution of colonizing group B Streptococcus in women in Egypt Epidemiol Infect 2013 142 1 208 10.1017/S0950268813000848 23561305
Sadaka SM Aly HA Meheissen MA Orief YI Arafa BM Group B Streptococcal carriage, antimicrobial susceptibility, and virulence related genes among pregnant women in Alexandria, Egypt Alexandria J Med 2018 54 1 69 76 10.1016/j.ajme.2017.01.003
Le Doare K Jarju S Darboe S Warburton F Gorringe A Heath PT et al. Risk factors for group B Streptococcus colonisation and disease in Gambian women and their infants J Infect 2016 72 3 283 94 10.1016/j.jinf.2015.12.014 26763186 4769314
Mukesi M Iweriebor BC Obi LC Nwodo UU Moyo SR Okoh AI Prevalence and capsular type distribution of Streptococcus agalactiae isolated from pregnant women in Namibia and South Africa BMC Infect Dis 2019 19 179 10.1186/s12879-019-3809-6 30786878 6383256
Madrid L Maculuve SA Vilajeliu A Sáez E Massora S Cossa A et al. Maternal carriage of group B Streptococcus and Escherichia coli in a district hospital in Mozambique Pediatr Infect Dis J 2018 37 11 1145 53 10.1097/INF.0000000000001979 30312265
Rodriguez-Granger J, Alvargonzalez JC, Berardi A, Berner R, Kunze M, Hufnagel M, et al. Prevention of group B Streptococcal neonatal disease revisited. The DEVANI European project. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2012 Sept;31(9):2097–104.
Trotter CL Alderson M Dangor Z Ip M Le Doare K Nakabembe E et al. Vaccine value profile for group B Streptococcus Vaccine 2023 41 S41 52 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.04.024 37951694
Hsu JF, Chen YN, Chu SM, Lee WJ, Huang HR, Chiang MC et al. Clonal complex 12 serotype Ib Streptococcus agalactiae strain causing complicated sepsis in neonates: clinical features and genetic characteristics. Microbiol Spectr. 11(1):e03778–22.
Liu J Chen F Guan H Yu J Yu J Zhao J et al. Emerging fatal Ib/CC12 hypervirulent multiresistant Streptococcus agalactiae in young infants with bloodstream infection in China Front Microbiol 2021 12 767803 10.3389/fmicb.2021.767803 34975795 8715515
Wadilo F Hailemeskel E Kedir K El-Khatib Z Asogba PC Seyoum T et al. Prevalence of group B Streptococcus maternal colonization, serotype distribution, and antimicrobial resistance in Sub-Saharan africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis J Global Antimicrob Resist 2023 32 134 44 10.1016/j.jgar.2023.02.004
Bergal A Loucif L Benouareth DE Bentorki AA Abat C Rolain JM Molecular epidemiology and distribution of serotypes, genotypes, and antibiotic resistance genes of Streptococcus agalactiae clinical isolates from Guelma, Algeria and Marseille, France Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2015 34 12 2339 48 10.1007/s10096-015-2487-6 26415872
Campisi E, Rinaudo CD, Donati C, Barucco M, Torricelli G, Edwards MS, et al. Serotype IV Streptococcus agalactiae ST-452 has arisen from large genomic recombination events between CC23 and the hypervirulent CC17 lineages. Sci Rep. 2016 July;14:6:29799.
Woldu ZL Teklehaimanot TG Waji ST Gebremariam MY The prevalence of group B Streptococus recto-vaginal colonization and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern in pregnant mothers at two hospitals of addis Ababa, Ethiopia Reprod Health 2014 11 80 10.1186/1742-4755-11-80 25476269 4265524
Li C, Sapugahawatte DN, Yang Y, Wong KT, Lo NWS, Ip M. Multidrug-Resistant Streptococcus agalactiae strains found in human and fish with high penicillin and cefotaxime non-susceptibilities. Microorganisms. 2020 July 16;8(7):1055.
Gizachew M Tiruneh M Moges F Adefris M Tigabu Z Tessema B Streptococcus agalactiae from Ethiopian pregnant women; prevalence, associated factors and antimicrobial resistance: alarming for prophylaxis Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob 2019 18 3 10.1186/s12941-019-0303-3 30660188 6339690
Dozie-Nwakile O, Nwakile C, Uchendu I, Uchechi H, Onyemelukwe N. Prevalence, characterization, antimicrobial susceptibility pattern and factors associated with group B Streptococci (Streptococcus agalactiae) from clinical and non- clinical sources in South-East Nigeria. J Biol Res (Boll Soc Ital Biol Sper). 2022 July 11.
Plainvert C, Hays C, Touak G, Joubrel-Guyot C, Dmytruk N, Frigo A, et al. Multidrug-resistant hypervirulent group B Streptococcus in neonatal invasive infections, France, 2007–2019. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020;26(11):2721–4.
Pimentel BAdaS Lannes-Costa PS Viana AS Santos G da Leobons S Ferreira-Carvalho MBGP Molecular characterization, antimicrobial resistance and invasion of epithelial cells by Streptococcus agalactiae strains isolated from colonized pregnant women and newborns in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil J Appl Microbiol 2024 135 8 lxae200 10.1093/jambio/lxae200 39108074
Huang J Li S Li L Wang X Yao Z Ye X Alarming regional differences in prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of group B Streptococci in pregnant women: A systematic review and meta-analysis J Global Antimicrob Resist 2016 7 169 77 10.1016/j.jgar.2016.08.010
Ntozini B Walaza S Metcalf B Hazelhurst S de Gouveia L Meiring S et al. Molecular epidemiology of invasive group B Streptococcus in South Africa, 2019–2020 J Infect Dis 2025 231 4 e697 707 10.1093/infdis/jiae633 39737783
Bolukaoto JY Monyama CM Chukwu MO Lekala SM Nchabeleng M Maloba MRB et al. Antibiotic resistance of Streptococcus agalactiae isolated from pregnant women in Garankuwa, South Africa BMC Res Notes 2015 8 364 10.1186/s13104-015-1328-0 26289147 4544793
Culebras E Rodriguez-Avial I Betriu C Redondo M Picazo JJ Macrolide and Tetracycline resistance and molecular relationships of clinical strains of Streptococcus agalactiae Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2002 46 5 1574 6 10.1128/AAC.46.5.1574-1576.2002 11959603 127186
Pinto TCA Costa NS Corrêa AB de Oliveira A de Mattos ICM Rosado MC Conjugative transfer of resistance determinants among human and bovine Braz J Microbiol 2014 45 3 785 9 10.1590/S1517-83822014000300004 25477908 4204959
Roberts AP, Mullany P. Tn916-like genetic elements: a diverse group of modular mobile elements conferring antibiotic resistance. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2011 Sept; 35(5):856–71.
Fitoussi F, Loukil C, Gros I, Clermont O, Mariani P, Bonacorsi S, et al. Mechanisms of macrolide resistance in clinical group B Streptococci isolated in France. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2001 June;45(6):1889–91.
Uh Y, Jang IH, Hwang GY, Lee MK, Yoon KJ, Kim HY. Serotypes and genotypes of erythromycin-resistant group B Streptococci in Korea. J Clin Microbiol. 2004 July;42(7):3306–8.
Dogan B Schukken YH Santisteban C Boor KJ Distribution of serotypes and antimicrobial resistance genes among Streptococcus agalactiae isolates from bovine and human hosts J Clin Microbiol 2005 43 12 5899 906 10.1128/JCM.43.12.5899-5906.2005 16333073 1317170
Martins ER Andreu A Correia P Juncosa T Bosch J Ramirez M et al. Group B Streptococci causing neonatal infections in Barcelona are a stable clonal population: 18-Year Surveillance▿ J Clin Microbiol 2011 49 8 2911 8 10.1128/JCM.00271-11 21697333 3147731
Otaguiri ES Morguette AEB Tavares ER dos Santos PMC Morey AT Cardoso JD et al. Commensal Streptococcus agalactiaeisolated from patients seen at university hospital of Londrina, Paraná, brazil: capsular types, genotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility and virulence determinants BMC Microbiol 2013 13 1 297 10.1186/1471-2180-13-297 24359590 3878097
Cheng Z Qu P Ke P Yang X Zhou Q Lan K et al. Antibiotic resistance and molecular epidemiological characteristics of Streptococcus agalactiae isolated from pregnant women in Guangzhou, South China Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol 2020 2020 1368942 10.1155/2020/1368942 32399123 7210523
Banks C Lindbom BJ Kitson G Darsley M Fischer PB Preclinical development of a novel group B Streptococcus (GBS) vaccine candidate for maternal immunization based upon the alpha-like protein family of GBS surface proteins (Alp) Birth Defects Res 2023 115 9 933 44 10.1002/bdr2.2173 37010372
Fischer P, Pawlowski A, Cao D, Bell D, Kitson G, Darsley M et al. Safety and immunogenicity of a prototype recombinant alpha-like protein subunit vaccine (GBS-NN) against group B Streptococcus in a randomised placebo-controlled double-blind phase 1 trial in healthy adult women. Vaccine. 2021 July 22;39(32):4489–99.
BEN-TALEB H, Amar N, Chakroun A, Nayme K, Lamrissi A, Badre A et al. Dataset for antimicrobial susceptibility and molecular characteristics of group B streptococcus isolates [Internet]. 2025. Available from: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.30632678