A Multicenter Study on the Utility of Selective Enrichment Broth for Detection of Group B Streptococcus in Pregnant Women in Japan

Jpn J Infect Dis. 2023 Oct 31. doi: 10.7883/yoken.JJID.2023.295. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTUniversal screening for Streptococcus agalactiae, Group B Streptococcus (GBS), in pregnant women is important for preventing severe infectious diseases in neonates. The subculture method using selective enrichment broth has been reported to significantly improve GBS detection in the US; however, this method is not widely practiced in Japan. An insufficiency of large-scale validation is one of the reasons; therefore, we validated the utility of the subculture method in collaboration with multiple facilities. A total of 1957 vaginal-rectal swab specimens were obtained from pregnant women at 35-37 gestational weeks from March 1, 2020 to August 30, 2020 at Fukushima Medical University Hospital, Aiiku Hospital, Kitano Hospital, and the University of the Ryukyus Hospital. Three methods, such as conventional direct agar plating, subculture using selective enrichment broth, and direct latex agglutination (LA) testing with incubated broth were performed for GBS detection and discrepant results were confirmed using real-time PCR. The GBS detection rates for direct agar plating, subculture, and direct LA testing were 18.2% (357/1957), 21.6% (423/1957), and 22.3% (437/1957), respectively. The use of selective enrichment broth showed results in highly-sensitive GBS detection and is therefore recommended for GBS screening to prevent GBS-related infectious diseases in neonates in Japan.PMID:379142...
Source: Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Source Type: research