common colonization genes profiling and box-pcr based genotyping of streptococcus agalactiae from pregnantwomen in tehran, iran

Background: streptococcus agalactiae or group b streptococcus (gbs) is a prominent cause of severe neonatal infections. group b streptococcus is a part of the intestinal and vaginal normal flora. maternal colonization is recognized as the main path of gbs transmission. group b streptococcus is a pathobiont that changes from a non-symptomatic mucosal carriage state to a significant bacterial pathogen, causing major infections. objectives: this study aimed to investigate the concomitant presence of major colonization genes, including ftsa, ftsb, lmb, and sfba, and to determine the genetic relatedness of clinical gbs isolates. methods: the gbs isolates were obtained from urinary and placental samples of pregnant women with a urinary tract infection, who were admitted to a hospital in tehran, iran. the presence of some major colonization factors was investigated via multiplex pcr assay. genotyping of the isolates was performed using the box-pcr fingerprint technique with a box-a1r primer. next, the data were analyzed using the upgma method and the coefficient of jaccard in ntsys software. results: a total of 60 gbs isolates were examined in this study. the concomitant presence of target colonization genes was observed in all isolates. the box-pcr discriminatedgbsisolates into six different genetic clusters at a60% cutoff point. the majority of isolates (80%) from both clinical samples were clustered into genotypes 2, 6, and 4, while the rest (20%) were distributed equally into three different genotypes. conclusions: determining the colonization associated genes and genetic polymorphism in a different geographical area provides the epidemiological basis for the prevention of gbs infections in pregnant women and infants.