Neonatal group B streptococcus disease in developing countries: are we ready to deploy a vaccine?
Group B streptococcus (GBS) disease is the leading cause of neonatal sepsis in developed countries and has high case fatality rates. In developing countries, however, the burden of GBS is less clear; this is due to a lack of studies using optimal diagnostic, clinical and laboratory techniques and is complicated by the wide availability of non-prescription antibiotics to the general population and in peripartum patients. There is an urgent need for prospective, population-based surveillance to provide an accurate assessment of neonatal GBS disease burden in developing countries, which remains largely unrecognized, and consequently obscures the potential relevance of GBS vaccination in these populations. Preliminary data on GBS vaccines are promising as a preventive tool for neonatal GBS infection, more so than any other currently available public health initiative. However, how do we assess the true impact of a GBS vaccine without accurate surveillance data on the real burden of disease?
a 1 University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Pui-Ying
PY
Iroh Tam
b 2 University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE, USA.
Shirley F
SF
Delair
b 2 University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE, USA.
Stephen K
SK
Obaro
D003906:Developing Countries; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015995:Prevalence; D018805:Sepsis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D022541:Streptococcal Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D013292:Streptococcus agalactiae / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*
D022541:Streptococcal Vaccines
Streptococcus agalactiae; broad-spectrum antimicrobial use; developing countries; group B streptococcus; intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis; neonatal sepsis; vaccination