Molecular Epidemiology of Group B Streptococci in Lithuania Identifies Multi-Drug Resistant Clones and Sporadic ST1 Serotypes Ia and Ib.

(Group B Streptococcus, GBS) is a leading cause of neonatal infections. Yet, detailed assessment of the genotypic and phenotypic factors associated with GBS carriage, mother-to-baby transmission, and GBS infection in neonates and adults is lacking. Understanding the distribution of GBS genotypes, including the predominance of different serotypes, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes, and virulence factors, is likely to help to prevent GBS diseases, as well as inform estimates of the efficacy of future GBS vaccines.

A Role for the RNA Polymerase Gene Specificity Factor σ in the Uniform Colony Growth of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli.

The canonical function of a bacterial sigma (σ) factor is to determine the gene specificity of the RNA polymerase (RNAP). In several diverse bacterial species, the σ factor uniquely confers distinct functional and regulatory properties on the RNAP. A hallmark feature of the σ-RNAP is the obligatory requirement for an activator ATPase to allow transcription initiation.