The changing epidemiology of group B streptococcus bloodstream infection: A multi-national population-based assessment

AbstractBackground Population-based studies conducted in single regions or countries have identified significant changes in the epidemiology of invasive group B streptococcus (GBS) infection. However, no studies have concurrently compared the epidemiology of GBS infections among multiple different regions and countries over time. The study objectives were to define the contemporary incidence and determinants of GBS bloodstream infection (BSI) and assess temporal changes in a multi-national population. Methods Population-based surveillance for GBS BSI was conducted in nine regions in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and the UK during 2000–2010. Incidence rates were age- and gender-standardised to the EU population. Results During 114 million patient-years of observation, 3464 cases of GBS BSI were identified for an overall annual incidence of 3.4 patients per 100 000 persons. There were marked differences in the overall (range = 1.8–4.1 per 100 000 person-year) and neonatal (range = 0.19–0.83 pe...