title: Molecular characterization and antimicrobial susceptibility of hemolytic Streptococcus agalactiae from post-menopausal women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B streptococcus, GBS) is increasingly recognized as a pathogen in adult populations, including the elderly. Appropriate treatment involves antibiotics. An alternative to this strategy would be the administration of a polysaccharide vaccine therefore the capsular serotypes and molecular characterization of circulating strains needs to be known. Few studies have been conducted in this population.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and seven GBS isolates collected from vagino-rectal swabs from 600 post-menopausal women were analysed for their capsular type, antimicrobial resistance and genetic relatedness (multilocus sequence typing, MLST).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The colonization rate was 17.8%. Capsular type III was predominant (34.6%), followed by type V (22.4%). The most frequent sequence type (ST) was 19 (23.3%), followed by 23 (18.7%), 1 (16.8%) and 17 (12.1%). Isolates were assembled into three phylogenetic groups from ST-19, ST-23 and ST-17 founders. All isolates were susceptible to penicillin, whereas resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin was recorded in 23.4% and 20.6% of isolates, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our setting, the GBS colonization rate in postmenopausal women is similar to that reported in others populations studied. The population structure of these isolates is highly diverse and contains different STs. These data can contribute to the future development of a polysaccharide vaccine for preventing GBS infection in older adults.
authors: Emergency Service, University Hospital Virgen de las Nieves, Avenida de Fuerzas Armadas s/n, Granada 18014, Spain. Electronic address: bemolt@hotmail.com.
authors: Belén
authors: B
authors: Moltó-García
authors: Service of Microbiology, University Hospital Virgen de las Nieves, Avenida de Fuerzas Armadas s/n, Granada 18014, Spain. Electronic address: c.liebma@hotmail.com.
authors: María del Carmen
authors: Mdel C
authors: Liébana-Martos
authors: Service of Microbiology, University Hospital Virgen de las Nieves, Avenida de Fuerzas Armadas s/n, Granada 18014, Spain. Electronic address: ecm_mg@hotmail.com.
authors: Elena
authors: E
authors: Cuadros-Moronta
authors: Service of Microbiology, University Hospital Virgen de las Nieves, Avenida de Fuerzas Armadas s/n, Granada 18014, Spain. Electronic address: javierm.rodriguez.sspa@juntadeandalucia.es.
authors: Javier
authors: J
authors: Rodríguez-Granger
authors: Service of Microbiology, University Hospital Virgen de las Nieves, Avenida de Fuerzas Armadas s/n, Granada 18014, Spain. Electronic address: antonioj.sampedro.sspa@juntadeandalucia.es.
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Sampedro-Martínez
authors: Service of Microbiology, University Hospital Virgen de las Nieves, Avenida de Fuerzas Armadas s/n, Granada 18014, Spain. Electronic address: manuel.rosa.sspa@juntadeandalucia.es.
authors: Manuel
authors: M
authors: Rosa-Fraile
authors: School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, University of Granada, Av. de Madrid, 11, Granada 18012, Spain. Electronic address: josegf1199@gmail.com.
authors: José
authors: J
authors: Gutierrez-Fernández
authors: Service of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Virgen de las Nieves, Avenida de Fuerzas Armadas s/n, Granada 18014, Spain. Electronic address: apuertas51@hotmail.com.
authors: Alberto
authors: A
authors: Puertas-Priet
authors: Service of Microbiology, University Hospital Virgen de las Nieves, Avenida de Fuerzas Armadas s/n, Granada 18014, Spain. Electronic address: josem.navarro.sspa@juntadeandalucia.es.
authors: José María
authors: JM
authors: Navarro-Marí
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016667:Bacterial Capsules; D002353:Carrier State / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D002981:Clindamycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D010406:Penicillins / Q000494:pharmacology; D010802:Phylogeny; D017698:Postmenopause; D012007:Rectum / Q000382:microbiology; D065288:Serogroup; D013292:Streptococcus agalactiae / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics*; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010406:Penicillins; D002981:Clindamycin; D004917:Erythromycin
keywords: Characterization; Postmenopausal; Sequence type; Serotype