The incidence of EOD and LOD is apparently low in Japan, but the mortality and morbidity rates remain substantial. The issue of national guidelines did not affect the incidence.

CFR of EOD and LOD in Japan is comparable with that in high-income European countries or the United States, and their incidence is much lower. Our findings also describe the clinical details of LLOD, recurrent infections, and infections in twin siblings. This study is the largest among Asian childhood GBS studies ever reported.

The number of GBS-infected cases has stopped increasing, but it is still necessary to carry out screenings of pregnant women for the purpose of decreasing the onset of the disease.

No abstract

Key wordsTo study preventive strategies, it is essential to screen pregnant women having group B Streprococcus (GBS) infection in the birth canal. For the purpose of studying preventive measures against this infection, nationwide multicenter research was performed in GBS-carrying pregnant women. Of a total of 10 267 pregnant women, I860 cases ( 1 8. I YO) had GBS. The most common serotypes of detected GBS were t y p e Hospital, Tama-city, Tokyo,