Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41331552›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2025

A large prospective study of group B Streptococcus carriage in pregnant women in Morocco: prevalence, serotype distribution, antimicrobial resistance and virulence determinants.

Hanane Ben-Taleb, Narjis Amar, Azeddine Chakroun, Kaotar Nayme, Amine Lamrissi, Amal Badre, Karima Mohtadi, Rosalie Sacheli, Rajae Darfouf, Cécile Meex and 5 more

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Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Hanane Ben-TalebLaboratory of Biology and Health, Research Center of Biotechnology and Health, Faculty of Sciences Ben M'Sick, University Hassan II of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco.
Narjis AmarLaboratory of Biology and Health, Research Center of Biotechnology and Health, Faculty of Sciences Ben M'Sick, University Hassan II of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco.
Azeddine ChakrounLaboratory of Biology and Health, Research Center of Biotechnology and Health, Faculty of Sciences Ben M'Sick, University Hassan II of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco.
Kaotar NaymeLaboratoire de Bactériologie Moléculaire, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco.
Amine LamrissiService de Maternité, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Ibn Rochd, Casablanca, Morocco.
Amal BadreService de Néonatologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Ibn Rochd, Casablanca, Morocco.
Karima MohtadiLaboratory of Biology and Health, Research Center of Biotechnology and Health, Faculty of Sciences Ben M'Sick, University Hassan II of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco.
Rosalie SacheliNational Reference Center (CNR-NRC) for Streptococcus agalactiae, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège, CHULiège, Liège, Belgium.
Rajae DarfoufNational Reference Center (CNR-NRC) for Streptococcus agalactiae, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège, CHULiège, Liège, Belgium.
Cécile MeexNational Reference Center (CNR-NRC) for Streptococcus agalactiae, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège, CHULiège, Liège, Belgium.
Pierre BogaertsDepartment of Clinical Microbiology, National Reference Center for Antibiotic-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacilli, CHU UCL Namur, Yvoir, Belgium.
Te-Din HuangDepartment of Clinical Microbiology, National Reference Center for Antibiotic-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacilli, CHU UCL Namur, Yvoir, Belgium.
Halima LebraziLaboratory of Biology and Health, Research Center of Biotechnology and Health, Faculty of Sciences Ben M'Sick, University Hassan II of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco.
Rachid SaïleLaboratory of Biology and Health, Research Center of Biotechnology and Health, Faculty of Sciences Ben M'Sick, University Hassan II of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco.
Mustapha ChamekhLaboratory of Pediatric Research, Inflammation Unit, Faculty of Medicine and ULB Center for Immunology (U-CRI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium. mostafa.chamekh@ulb.be.

Funding

Académie de recherche et d'enseignement supérieur ARES-PRD2020
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundGroup B streptococcus (GBS) is a commensal bacterium that can cause severe infection in neonates. Vaginal colonization with GBS is a risk factor for mother-to-child transmission and, therefore, its monitoring is essential for prevention strategies. Epidemiological data on maternal GBS carriage and the characterization of recovered isolates in North African regions are scarce, mainly due to the lack of systematic GBS screening in pregnant women. Maternal vaccination based on the use of various capsular polysaccharides (CPS) remains a promising strategy for the control of GBS infection. Therefore, studying the distribution of CPS is of paramount importance to ensure vaccine efficacy in diverse and large populations. This investigation aims to provide the first large-scale epidemiological analysis in pregnant women in Morocco, regarding prevalence of GBS carriage and the main characteristics of circulating strains.

methodsGBS screening was conducted between April 2021 and July 2024 on 1710 pregnant women at 35–40 weeks of gestation. Capsular serotyping was performed using multiplex PCR. Disk diffusion test was applied to evaluate antimicrobial susceptibility. Resistance genes and key virulence genes were detected by PCRs.

resultsThe prevalence of colonization was 9.9%. The serotypes Ib, IV, II, V, Ia, and III were more prevalent, accounting for 19.8%, 17.1%, 14.3%, 13.7%, 12.3%, and 7.5% respectively. All GBS isolates were found to be susceptible to penicillin. Resistance to tetracycline was observed in 98.8% of strains, with a significant correlation to the presence of tetM gene. 6.4% of isolates were clindamycin resistant and 14.1% were erythromycin resistant, with a significant correlation to the ermB gene. In addition, mefA gene was detected in 16.6% of erythromycin-resistant isolates. Regarding virulence genes, scpB was present in all tested isolates and bac, fbsA, and cyIB were found in more than 70.0% of tested isolates, whereas rib gene was detected in 37.5% of tested isolates.

conclusionThe serotype distribution indicates that a candidate vaccine based on hexavalent capsular polysaccharides (Ia, Ib, II, III, IV, and V) would prevent 85.0% of cases. Resistance to macrolides (erythromycin 14.1%) and lincosamides (clindamycin 6.4%), which are used as alternative therapies, was observed in a total of 20.5% of strains. This highlights the need for sustained epidemiological surveillance of GBS in the region.

trial registrationClinical trial number: not applicable.

Indexed as

Carrier StateDrug Resistance, BacterialPregnancy Complications, InfectiousStreptococcal InfectionsStreptococcus agalactiaeAdultAnti-Bacterial AgentsFemaleHumansMicrobial Sensitivity TestsMoroccoPregnancyPrevalenceProspective StudiesSerogroupSerotypingAnti-Bacterial AgentsVirulence FactorsAntibiotic resistanceCapsular polysaccharides serotypeGroup B streptococcusMaternal carriageVirulence factors

Identifiers

PMID41331552
PMCPMC12777000

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.