The increasing burden of group B Streptococcus from 2013 to 2023: a retrospective cohort study in Beijing, China

Abstract

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is an important pathogen that commonly causes infections in newborns and the elderly. This retrospective study provides a comprehensive analysis of GBS strains isolated from a large tertiary hospital in Beijing between 2013 and 2023, revealing an increasing colonization rate of GBS in both pregnant and non-pregnant women. Analysis of vaginal pathogens indicates a growing proportion of GBS among vaginal pathogens. Additionally, the high resistance rates of GBS to erythromycin, clindamycin, and levofloxacin, as well as the prevalence of multidrug resistance, are issues that merit attention. We also examined the differences in resistance rates of GBS strains from various sample types, finding that the levofloxacin resistance rate in GBS strains causing invasive infections was significantly higher than in colonizing strains. This study provides new data and insights for clinical research on GBS.