Distribution by Serological Type of Group B Streptococci Isolated from a Variety of Clinical Material over a Five-Year Period (with Special Reference to Neonatal Sepsis and Meningitis)

A total of 898 group B streptococci isolated from a wide variety of human clinical sources from July 1967 through June 1972 were typed by the Lancefield precipitin test. Only 11% of the strains were nontypable. Twenty-six percent of the group B strains were from respiratory sources, 22% were from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood, 13% were from the female genital tract, 12% were urine specimens, and the remaining 27% were from other varied sources. The clinical conditions reported for patients from whom these organisms were isolated included neonatal meningitis and sepsis, pharyngitis, urinary tract and female genital tract infections, and various skin and wound infections. Seventy percent of the CSF and blood cultures from patients with meningitis or sepsis, or both, were type III, whereas the overall percentage of this type was 32%. All but three CSF isolates were from patients under 2 years of age; the distribution of CSF isolates appeared to be the same for both sexes. In contrast, group B streptococci were isolated more frequently from the blood of males than from the blood of females. There were twice as many blood cultures from patients under 2 years of age than from those that were older.