Prevalence of group B streptococcal colonization in the healthy non-pregnant population: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

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Characteristics of Streptococcus agalactiae Colonizing Nonpregnant Adults Support the Opportunistic Nature of Invasive Infections

“…Other antimicrobial resistant lineages were also present in colonization, including the multiresistant serotype III/CC17/PI-2b sublineage of the hypervirulent ST17 lineage. The serotype distribution found in our study differed considerably from that of the 21 studies reviewed in the recent meta-analysis, where serotypes III and II were the most prevalent, but this could be due to the fact that most reviewed data were published before 1990 ( 9 ). This suggests that temporal changes in GBS colonization have occurred, supporting the need for additional studies of colonization in nonpregnant adults to better understand the relationship between colonization and disease by this important pathogen.…”

“…The prevalence of GBS carriage in our study (31.8%; CI 95 = 27.1% to 37.0%), including both males and females, is closer to the highest reported in the two most recent studies of GBS colonization during pregnancy in Portugal—21% ( 17 ) and 35% ( 18 )—and higher than that found in a meta-analysis of studies following similar microbiological methods (19.4%; CI 95 = 16.1% to 23.1%) ( 9 ). The increasing proportion of GBS colonized individuals with age found in our study, independent of gender, is in contrast to a French study, in which colonization rates peaked in the 41 to 54 years group but then decreased in older participants ( 19 ).…”

“…The increasing proportion of GBS colonized individuals with age found in our study, independent of gender, is in contrast to a French study, in which colonization rates peaked in the 41 to 54 years group but then decreased in older participants ( 19 ). An increase of colonization in older adults was also not found in the meta-analysis ( 9 ). Despite more than half of the small number of diabetic participants in our study ( n = 24) being colonized with GBS, this was not different from the proportion of colonization among nondiabetic participants when adjusted for age.…”

“…In European countries, the prevalence of GBS carriage among pregnant women ranges from 6.5% to 36%, with most countries reporting colonization rates within 15 to 20% ( 4 , 5 ). Colonization among nonpregnant adults is less well studied, but vaginal and rectal colonization of healthy young and elderly adults have been reported at levels similar to those observed during pregnancy, including among males ( 6 – 9 ). Studies on the transmission of GBS between individuals are rare, and although transmission was found to occur between sex partners during pregnancy, multiple transmission modes may exist ( 6 , 10 ).…”

Epidemiological Characterization of Group B Streptococcus Infections in Alberta, Canada: An Update from 2014 to 2020

“…Neonatal acquisition of GBS is primarily a result of vertical transmission from colonized mothers to neonates during pregnancy or birth ( 9 , 10 ). Through the activation of various virulence factors, GBS can cause sepsis, pneumonia, or meningitis in neonates, leading to severe disease ( 11 ). GBS-associated disease in infants can occur within the first 7 days of life (early-onset disease [EOD]) or within 8 to 90 days after birth (late-onset disease [LOD]) ( 12 , 13 ).…”