Highlights Most comprehensive review of Group B Streptococcal serotypes through 2018. First systematic review of Group B Streptococcal strain type and protein data. Theoretically candidate vaccines may protect against 93-99% disease-causing strains. More studies on GBS strains in low- and middle-income countries are needed.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of neonatal meningitis, pneumonia, and sepsis. The biggest contributing factor of neonatal infections is due to vertical transmission from maternal colonisation of GBS in the genitourinary tract. Multiple serotype colonisation is often not investigated in epidemiological studies, but it is an important consideration for serotype-based vaccine development and implementation to ensure less abundant serotypes are not under-represented. In this study, we show that RAPD PCR is a quick tool useful in screening the presence of genetically different strains using multiple colony picks from a single patient swab. We observed a maximum of five different GBS strains colonising a single patient at a specific time.