Diversity in Naturally Acquired Immunity to Group B Streptococcus: A Comparative Study of Women from Bangladesh, Malawi, and the United Kingdom.

Background: Significant disparities in Group B Streptococcus (GBS) colonisation and neonatal disease rates have been documented across different geographical regions. For example, Bangladesh reports notably lower rates compared to the United Kingdom (UK) and Malawi. This study investigates whether this epidemiological variability correlates with the immune response to GBS in these regions.

Corrigendum: SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in pregnant women in Kilifi, Kenya from March 2020 to March 2022.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.

GBS vaccines in the UK: a round table discussion.

Background: Group B streptococcus (GBS) remains a leading cause of infant sepsis, meningitis and death despite intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis. A vaccine is urgently required, and two candidates are in advanced clinical trials. For successful GBS vaccine implementation, especially if a vaccine is licensed based on an immunological threshold, there must be cross-sector engagement, effective advocacy, robust plans for phase IV studies and equitable access.

The role of vaccines in reducing antimicrobial resistance: A review of potential impact of vaccines on AMR and insights across 16 vaccines and pathogens.

In 2019, an estimated 4.95 million deaths were linked to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Vaccines can prevent many of these deaths by averting both drug-sensitive and resistant infections, reducing antibiotic usage, and lowering the likelihood of developing resistance genes.

Exploring the consent process among pregnant and breastfeeding women taking part in a maternal vaccine clinical trial in Kampala, Uganda: a qualitative study.

Background: The involvement of pregnant women in vaccine clinical trials presents unique challenges for the informed consent process. We explored the expectations and experiences of the pregnant women, spouses/partners, health workers and stakeholders of the consent process during a Group B Streptococcus maternal vaccine trial.

Methods: We interviewed 56 participants including pregnant women taking part in the trial, women not in the trial, health workers handling the trial procedures, spouses, and community stakeholders.

Data challenges for international health emergencies: lessons learned from ten international COVID-19 driver projects.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of international data sharing and access to improve health outcomes for all. The International COVID-19 Data Alliance (ICODA) programme enabled 12 exemplar or driver projects to use existing health-related data to address major research questions relating to the pandemic, and developed data science approaches that helped each research team to overcome challenges, accelerate the data research cycle, and produce rapid insights and outputs. These approaches also sought to address inequity in data access and use, test approaches to ethical health data use, and make summary datasets and outputs accessible to a wider group of researchers.

Risk of Invasive Meningococcal Disease in Preterm Infants.

Background: Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is most common in the first year of life. We hypothesized that preterm infants may have a higher risk of IMD and more severe disease than term infants. We compared the incidence, demographics, clinical presentation, and outcomes of IMD in preterm compared with term infants during the first 5 years after implementation of a national meningococcal group B vaccine (4CMenB) for infants in England.

Antibody kinetics between birth and three months of life in healthy infants with natural exposure to Group B streptococcus: A UK cohort study.

Introduction: Capsular polysaccharide (CPS) serotype-specific Immunoglobulin G (IgG) in cord blood has been proposed as a correlate of protection against invasive Group B Streptococcus (iGBS) disease. Although protective levels are required in infants throughout the window of vulnerability up to 3 months of age, little is known regarding the kinetics of GBS-specific IgG over this period.

Methods: We enrolled 33 healthy infants born to mothers colonized with GBS.

Vaccine value profile for Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Klebsiella pneumoniae causes community- and healthcare-associated infections in children and adults. Globally in 2019, an estimated 1.27 million (95% Uncertainty Interval [UI]: 0.

Defining and reporting adverse events of special interest in comparative maternal vaccine studies: a systematic review.

Introduction: The GAIA (Global Alignment on Immunisation Safety Assessment in Pregnancy) consortium was established in 2014 with the aim of creating a standardised, globally coordinated approach to monitoring the safety of vaccines administered in pregnancy. The consortium developed twenty-six standardised definitions for classifying obstetric and infant adverse events. This systematic review sought to evaluate the current state of adverse event reporting in maternal vaccine trials following the publication of the case definitions by GAIA, and the extent to which these case definitions have been adopted in maternal vaccine safety research.

Seroepidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in a cohort of pregnant women and their infants in Uganda and Malawi.

Background: Data on SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy and infancy has accumulated throughout the course of the pandemic, though evidence regarding asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and adverse birth outcomes are scarce. Limited information is available from countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The pregnant woman and infant COVID in Africa study (PeriCOVID Africa) is a South-South-North partnership involving hospitals and health centres in five countries: Malawi, Uganda, Mozambique, The Gambia, and Kenya.

Paediatric, maternal, and congenital mpox: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Although mpox has been detected in paediatric populations in central and west Africa for decades, evidence synthesis on paediatric, maternal, and congenital mpox, and the use of vaccines and therapeutics in these groups, is lacking. A systematic review is therefore indicated to set the research agenda.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis, searching articles in Embase, Global Health, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, SciELO, and WHO databases from inception to April 17, 2023.

The safety and immunogenicity of vaccines administered to pregnant women living with HIV: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-exposed uninfected (HEU) infants have a higher burden of infectious diseases related morbidity and mortality compared with HIV-unexposed uninfected (HUU). Immunization of pregnant women living with HIV (PWLWH) could reduce the severity and burden of infectious diseases for HEU in early infancy.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of safety and immunogenicity of vaccines administered to PWLWH and meta-analyses to test the overall effect of immunogenicity comparing pregnant women without HIV (PWWH) to PWLWH.

SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in pregnant women in Kilifi, Kenya from March 2020 to March 2022.

Background: Seroprevalence studies are an alternative approach to estimating the extent of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the evolution of the pandemic in different geographical settings. We aimed to determine the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence from March 2020 to March 2022 in a rural and urban setting in Kilifi County, Kenya.

Methods: We obtained representative random samples of stored serum from a pregnancy cohort study for the period March 2020 to March 2022 and tested for antibodies against the spike protein using a qualitative SARS-CoV-2 ELISA kit (Wantai, total antibodies).

Improving the Treatment of Neonatal Sepsis in Resource-Limited Settings: Gaps and Recommendations.

Neonatal sepsis causes significant global morbidity and mortality, with the highest burden in resource-limited settings where 99% of neonatal deaths occur. There are multiple challenges to achieving successful treatment of neonates in this setting. Firstly, reliable and low-cost strategies for risk identification are urgently needed to facilitate treatment as early as possible.

The immunogenicity and safety of Group B Streptococcal maternal vaccines: A systematic review.

Purpose: To systematically review immunogenicity and safety data of maternal group B streptococcal (GBS) vaccines in published clinical trials until July 2023.

Methods: EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library and clinicaltrial.gov.

Using electronic medical records to understand the impact of SARS-CoV-2 lockdown measures on maternal and neonatal outcomes in Kampala, Uganda.

Kawempe National Referral Hospital (KNRH) is a tertiary facility with over 21,000 pregnant or postpartum women admitted annually. The hospital, located in Kampala, Uganda, uses an Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system to capture patient data. Used since 2017, this readily available electronic health record (EHR) has the benefit of informing real-time clinical care, especially during pandemics such as COVID-19.

Placental Streptococcus agalactiae DNA is associated with neonatal unit admission and foetal pro-inflammatory cytokines in term infants.

Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus; GBS) is a common cause of sepsis in neonates. Previous work detected GBS DNA in the placenta in ~5% of women before the onset of labour, but the clinical significance of this finding is unknown. Here we re-analysed this dataset as a case control study of neonatal unit (NNU) admission.

Molecular epidemiology of in non-pregnant populations: a systematic review.

(group B , GBS) has recently emerged as an important pathogen among adults. However, it is overlooked in this population, with all global efforts being directed towards its containment among pregnant women and neonates. This systematic review assessed the molecular epidemiology and compared how the lineages circulating among non-pregnant populations relate to those of pregnant and neonatal populations worldwide.

Development of A Standardized Opsonophagocytosis Killing Assay for Group B and Assessment in an Interlaboratory Study.

The placental transfer of antibodies that mediate bacterial clearance via phagocytes is likely important for protection against invasive group B (GBS) disease. A robust functional assay is essential to determine the immune correlates of protection and assist vaccine development. Using standard reagents, we developed and optimized an opsonophagocytic killing assay (OPKA) where dilutions of test sera were incubated with bacteria, baby rabbit complement (BRC) and differentiated HL60 cells (dHL60) for 30 min.