Group B streptococci for neonatal disease.

C. McCartney*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalLetterpeer-review

    1 Citation (Scopus)
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)395
    Number of pages1
    JournalThe Lancet
    Volume357
    Issue number9253
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 3 Feb 2001

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    As Halliday and colleagues report, a national surveillance study of neonatal group B streptococcal infection in the UK is now underway and will be completed in March, 2001. This study, through the PHLS and the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit (BPSU) is funded by the Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF). All paediatricians report cases meeting the case definition: babies younger than 90 days of age in whom group B streptococcus has been isolated from a normally sterile site. Consultants in communicable disease control and clinical microbiologists are encouraged to send isolates for characterisation to the Streptococcus and Diphtheria Reference Unit, Respiratory and Systemic Infection Laboratory at the PHLS Central Public Health Laboratory, and to report cases to the PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre. Characterisation of the serotypes of group B streptococcus that cause disease in infants in the UK might be valuable in the development of serotype-based conjugate vaccines.

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