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Group B Streptococcal disease may be increasing in non-pregnant adults
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Group B streptococcus may be increasing in non-pregnant adults, especially among blacks, the elderly and people with diabetes, according to results of a new multi-center study.
Researchers utilized Active Bacterial Core surveillance to identify 19,512 cases of group B streptococcus in non-pregnant adults between 1990 and 2007. The median age of patients was 63 years.
In 1990, there were 3.6 cases of group B streptococcal disease per 100,000 persons. There were 7.3 cases per 100,000 persons in 2007 (P<.001).
On average, there were 4.6 more cases per 100,000 persons among blacks than there were among whites (range, 3.1 cases per 100,000 persons during 1991 to 5.8 cases per 100,000 persons during 1999).
Analysis of common clinical syndromes demonstrated that, in 2007, bacteremia without focus was observed in 39.3% of patients, skin and/or soft-tissue infections were observed in 25.6% of patients and pneumonia was present in 12.6% of patients.
There was more than one underlying condition in 88% of patients with group B streptococcus. Further analysis demonstrated that there was diabetes present in 44.4% of cases.
During 1998 and 1999, serotypes V, Ia, II and III were responsible for 80.8% of group B streptococcus infections in the cohort. Those same serotypes caused 78.5% of infections during 2005 and 2006.
Skoff T et al. Clin Infect Dis. 2009;49:85-92.