Emergence of the L phenotype in Group B Streptococci in the South of Ireland

Authors

Katherine Hayes, Department of Biological Sciences, Cork Institute of Technology, Rossa Avenue, Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland
Lesley Cotter, Department of Biological Sciences, Cork Institute of Technology, Rossa Avenue, Bishopstown, Cork, IrelandFollow
L. Barry, Department of Microbiology, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland
Fiona O'Halloran, Department of Biological Sciences, Cork Institute of Technology, Rossa Avenue, Bishopstown, Cork, IrelandFollow

Document Type

Article

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Disciplines

Biology | Biotechnology | Genomics | Immunology and Infectious Disease | Medicine and Health Sciences | Microbiology | Organisms | Public Health

Publication Details

Epidemiology & Infection

• Volume 145, Issue 16
• pp. 3535-3542

Abstract

Group B Streptococcal isolates (n = 235) from the South of Ireland were characterised by serotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility and determination of the phenotypic and genotypic mechanisms of resistance. Resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin was observed in 21·3% and 20·4% of the total population, respectively. The c-MLSB phenotype was the most common phenotype detected (62%), with ermB being the predominant genetic determinant, present in 84% of resistant isolates. The rare L phenotype was observed in 2·9% (n = 7) of isolates, four of which harboured the lsaC gene responsible for clindamycin resistance. Serotypes Ia, III and II were the most common amongst the entire study population (28·1%, 24·7% and 14%, respectively). Four of the seven L phenotype isolates were serotype III and two of these strains were confirmed as the hypervirulent clone, ST-17 and harboured the hvgA gene. This is the first documented case of the L phenotype in Ireland to date and the study findings emphasise the need for continued monitoring of antibiotic resistance and serotype distribution in GBS isolates from Ireland.

Recommended Citation

HAYES, K., COTTER, L., BARRY, L. and O’HALLORAN, F. (2017). Emergence of the L phenotype in Group B Streptococci in the South of Ireland. Epidemiology and Infection, 145(16), pp.3535–3542. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/epidemiology-and-infection/article/emergence-of-the-l-phenotype-in-group-b-streptococci-in-the-south-of-ireland/61EDA7F3D0D713F34B0A785ACBE9ED5A ‌