transmission in Birmingham, UK, 2009-19: An observational study.

Background: Over 10-years of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of in Birmingham presents an opportunity to explore epidemiological trends and risk factors for transmission in new detail.

Methods: Between 1st January 2009 and 15th June 2019, we obtained the first WGS isolate from every patient resident in a postcode district covered by Birmingham's centralised tuberculosis service. Data on patients' sex, country of birth, social risk-factors, anatomical locus of disease, and strain lineage were collected.

Bacterial Load and Molecular Markers Associated With Early-onset Group B Streptococcus: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: The natural history of neonatal group B Streptococcus (GBS) is poorly understood. Little is known about the bacterial factors influencing the transmission of GBS from mother to neonate, or the development of invasive early-onset GBS disease (EOGBS) in colonized neonates. We reviewed whether bacterial load and molecular markers are associated with GBS vertical transmission and progression to EOGBS.

Adverse events in women and children who have received intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis treatment: a systematic review.

Background: Adverse events from intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) are poorly documented yet essential to inform clinical practice for neonatal group B Streptococcus (GBS) disease prevention. In this systematic review, we appraised and synthesised the evidence on the adverse events of IAP in the mother and/or her child.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, EMBASE, Cochrane, and Science Citation Index from date of inception until October 16th 2016.

Genomics and outbreak investigation: from sequence to consequence.

Outbreaks of infection can be devastating for individuals and societies. In this review, we examine the applications of new high-throughput sequencing approaches to the identification and characterization of outbreaks, focusing on the application of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to outbreaks of bacterial infection. We describe traditional epidemiological analysis and show how WGS can be informative at multiple steps in outbreak investigation, as evidenced by many recent studies.

High-throughput bacterial genome sequencing: an embarrassment of choice, a world of opportunity.

Here, we take a snapshot of the high-throughput sequencing platforms, together with the relevant analytical tools, that are available to microbiologists in 2012, and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these platforms in obtaining bacterial genome sequences. We also scan the horizon of future possibilities, speculating on how the availability of sequencing that is 'too cheap to metre' might change the face of microbiology forever.