Publications

bacterial pili exploit integrin machinery to promote immune activation and efficient blood-brain barrier penetration.	group b streptococcus (gbs) is the leading cause of meningitis in newborn infants. bacterial cell surface appendages, known as pili, have been recently described in streptococcal pathogens, including gbs. the pilus tip adhesin, pila, contributes to gbs adherence to blood-brain barrier (bbb) endothelium; however, the host receptor and the contribution of pila in central nervous system (cns) disease pathogenesis are unknown. here we show that pila binds collagen, which promotes gbs interaction wit ...	2011	21897373
Matrix metalloproteinase-2 contributes to joint destruction in group B streptococcus-induced arthritis.	OBJECTIVE.: To assess the role of metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) on the evolution of septic arthritis induced by group B streptococci (GBS) in mice. METHODS.: Mice deficient for MMP-2 (MMP-2(-/-) ) and controls were injected intravenously with 1 × 10(7) colony forming units (CFU) of type IV GBS (strain 1/82). MMP-2 production, mortality, evolution of arthritis, bacterial clearance, joint histopathology and cytokine and chemokine production were examined in both experimental groups of mice at 3, 6, ...	2011	22042442
streptococcus agalactiae, an emerging pathogen for cultured ya-fish, schizothorax prenanti, in china.	streptococcus agalactiae (group b streptococcus) has emerged as an important pathogen that affects humans and animals, including aquatic species. s. agalactiae infections are becoming an increasing problem in aquaculture and have been reported worldwide in a variety of fish species, especially those living in warm water. recently, a very serious infectious disease of unknown aetiology broke out in ya-fish (schizothorax prenanti) farms in sichuan province. a gram-positive, chain-forming coccus wa ...	2011	22146014
group b streptococcus colonization by hiv status in pregnant women: prevalence and risk factors.	to examine the prevalence of and risk factors for group b streptococcus (gbs) colonization in an hiv-infected and uninfected pregnant population.	2011	22011210
Inhibition of IL-10 production by maternal antibodies against Group B Streptococcus GAPDH confers immunity to offspring by favoring neutrophil recruitment.	Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of neonatal pneumonia, septicemia, and meningitis. We have previously shown that in adult mice GBS glycolytic enzyme glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is an extracellular virulence factor that induces production of the immunosuppressive cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) by the host early upon bacterial infection. Here, we investigate whether immunity to neonatal GBS infection could be achieved through maternal vaccination against bact ...	2011	22114550
phenotypes, genotypes, serotypes and molecular epidemiology of erythromycin-resistant streptococcus agalactiae in italy.	the purpose of this investigation was to analyse streptococcus agalactiae (group b streptococcus, gbs) isolates collected in italy from vaginal and urine samples in respect to their clonality, distribution of virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance determinants. three hundred and eighty-eight gbs were recovered from clinical samples. they were analysed for antibiotic resistance profiling. erythromycin-resistant strains were further characterised by multilocus sequence typing (mlst), serot ...	2011	22120421
late-onset neonatal infections: incidences and pathogens in the era of antenatal antibiotics.	widespread use of intrapartum antimicrobial prophylaxis has significantly reduced the incidence of early-onset neonatal infection (eoni); however, little is known about the effects of increased maternal exposure to antibiotics on late-onset neonatal infection (loni). this study aims to evaluate loni epidemiology in our region after the application of french recommendations and to determine whether loni-causing organisms and their antibiotic susceptibility are influenced by peripartum antibiotic ...	2011	22134805
group b streptococcus surface proteins as major determinants for meningeal tropism.	streptococcus agalactiae (group b streptococcus, gbs), a normal constituent of the intestinal microbiota is the major cause of human neonatal infections and a worldwide spread 'hypervirulent' clone, gbs st-17, is strongly associated with neonatal meningitis. adhesion to epithelial and endothelial cells constitutes a key step of the infectious process. therefore gbs surface-anchored proteins are obvious potential adhesion mediators of barrier crossing and determinant of hypervirulence. this revie ...	2011	22206860
A Novel Bacterial Resistance Mechanism against Human Group IIA-Secreted Phospholipase A2: Role of Streptococcus pyogenes Sortase A.	Human group IIA-secreted phospholipase A(2) (sPLA(2)-IIA) is a bactericidal molecule important for the innate immune defense against Gram-positive bacteria. In this study, we analyzed its role in the host defense against Streptococcus pyogenes, a major human pathogen, and demonstrated that this bacterium has evolved a previously unidentified mechanism to resist killing by sPLA(2)-IIA. Analysis of a set of clinical isolates demonstrated that an ~500-fold higher concentration of sPLA(2)-IIA was re ...	2011	22075700
group b streptococcal disease in infants aged younger than 3 months: systematic review and meta-analysis.	background: despite widespread use of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis, group b streptococcus remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in infants in europe, the americas, and australia. however, estimates of disease burden in many countries outside of these regions is not available. we aimed to examine the current global burden of invasive disease and the serotype distribution of group b streptococcus isolates. methods: we searched medline, embase, and wholis databases for studies on ...	2012	22226047
clinical inquiry: does cervical membrane stripping in women with group b streptococcus put the fetus at risk?	no direct evidence points to fetal harm from cervical membrane stripping (cms) to induce labor in term pregnancies complicated by group b streptococcus (gbs) colonization.	2012	22220298
group b streptococcus infections in non-pregnant adults: the role of immunosuppression.	background: group b streptococcus (gbs) is a known causative pathogen of neonatal sepsis, but the epidemiology in non-pregnant adults is less studied. methods: retrospective case-control and cohort analyses of risk factors and outcomes of gbs infections among non-pregnant adults were conducted at the detroit medical center from january 2005 to may 2010. uninfected controls were matched to cases in a 3:1 ratio. data were obtained from charts and pharmacy records. identification of the bacteria an ...	2012	22236484
new insights into the role of the glutamic acid of the e-box motif in group b streptococcus pilus 2a assembly.	group b streptococcus pili are covalently linked structures assembled via a sortase-catalyzed transpeptidation mechanism involving specific residues and motifs. a sequence element containing a conserved glutamic acid, called the e-box, has been described to be involved in pilus formation. although it is known that the glutamic acid is involved in stabilizing the internal isopeptide bonds, its role in pilus assembly still needs to be investigated. using site-specific mutagenesis and complementati ...	2012	22253480
Serotypes and antibiotic resistance in Group B streptococcus isolated from patients at the Maternity Hospital, Kuwait.	A total of 143 group B streptococcus (GBS) isolates collected from mothers at the Maternity Hospital in Kuwait were investigated for their serotypes and antibiotic resistance, and screened by PCR for the carriage of genes for resistance to tetracycline (tetk, tetM, tetL, tetO), erythromycin (ermA, ermB, ermC, ermTR, ermM, mefA, mefE, msrA) and aminoglycosides (aph3, ant4, ant6). All isolates were serotyped using a latex agglutination test. Most of the isolates belonged to serotypes V (38.5?%), I ...	2012	21903822
infective endocarditis caused by group b streptococcus: the role of aminoglycoside-combination.		2012	22101164