Detection of Streptococcus agalactiae in pregnant women and newborns

S. agalactiae are common commensals of the nasopharynx, vagina and gastrointestinal tract. Now digestive tract is considered a very likely source of vaginal colonization. Colonization by the bacteria is in many cases asymptomatic. S. agalactiae causes a variety of infections in neonates and is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Transmission takes place vertically from colonized mother to fetus. A potential source of GBS infections may also be mother's milk. This type of transmission is very rare. S. agalactiae infection induces not only in neonates but also in adults, particularly in older persons and persons with other ongoing disease. In the theoretical part, I focused on the current knowledge about S. agalactiae, neonatal GBS infections and their prevention options. Then I assess current possibilities of identification and diagnostics of S. agalactiae, including the determination of antibiotic susceptibility. I outlined the current situation of the increasing resistance of S. agalactiae to macrolides and lincosamides and described the situation in several different countries. The practical part is performed on bacteriological department Ceske Budejovice Hospital, a.s. where I dealt with the whole process of identification and diagnostics of S. agalactiae. Firstly I did cultivate, or also preparing specimens for microscopic evaluation. I also identified S. agalactiae using CAMP assay, latex agglutination method or MALDI - TOF. For strains identified as S. agalactiae was performed for antibiotic sensitivity by the disc diffusion test. All the work I carried out under the supervision of the head of his thesis and laboratory staff according to standard operating procedures. Part of my work is devoted to the results. Their statistical processing, I found the colonization by S. agalactiae in a population of pregnant women. I also concentrated on the distribution of individual serotypes of this bacterium in newborns. For each strain isolated from pregnant women and infants I assess its sensitivity to penicillin, ampicillin, erythromycin and clindamycin. The practice in the laboratory showed that the most frequently used methods for identification of S. agalactiae are CAMP test and MALDI - TOF mass spectrometry. Latex agglutination today too often used