Two Streptococcus agalactiae ST283 invasive infections in Portugal raise the possibility of the emergence of this unusual lineage in Europe

Frontiers in Microbiology 2026 Open access

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Authors: Elisabete Martins, Mykyta Forofontov, José Mota Freitas, José Melo‐Cristino, Mário Ramirez, Miguel Seruca, João Marques, Isabel Peres, Teresa Pina, Isabel Lourenço, Cristina Marcelo, Isabel Daniel
+88 more Odete Chantre, Vasco Mendes, Margarida Feijó Pinto, Rui M. Ferreira, Marília Gião, Teresa Pina Vaz, Catarina Chaves, Rui Tomé Ribeiro, Celeste Pontes, Luísa Boaventura, Teresa Reis, Henrique Oliveira, Ana Aguiar, Mariana Silva, Hugo Loureiro, Adriana Pedrosa, Hermínia Costa, Maria Fatima Silva, Maria Amélia Afonso, Mariana Fardilha, Natália Novais, Isabel Brito, Ana Bruschy Fonseca, Luís Lito, Maria Ana Pessanha, Elsa Gonçalves, Teresa Morais, Cristina Toscano, Elisabete Cristovam, Filomena Maria Cardoso Pedrosa Ferreira Martins, Paulo Lopes, Angelina Lameirão, Gabriela Abreu, Aurélia Selaru, Ana Paula Mota Vieira, Margarida Tomaz, Marta Vanrell Nicolau, Cláudia Ferreira, Ana Paula de Castro, Helena Ramos, Virginia Lopes, Hugo Cruz, Nádia Martins, Carla Leite, Alexandra Estrada, Filipa Bazenga, Fernando Pereira da Fonseca, Ana Paula de Castro, Filipa Vicente, Margarida Pereira, Nuno Canhoto, Teresa Afonso, Maria Paula Falcão, Ilse Barros Fontes, Rui Semedo, Gina Marrão, Filipa Silva, Manuela Ribeiro, Helena Piúma Gonçalves, Alberta Faustino, Maria Cármen Iglesias, Adriana Coutinho, Ana Bela Correia, Maria Luísa Gonçalves, Elzara Aliyeva, Sandra Schäfer, Clara Portugal, Isabel García Monge, Luisa Monleón Sancho, José Diogo, Filipa Fortunato, Leonardo Carneiro, José Marta, Isabel Cristina do Nascimento, Nadiya Kruptsala, Cláudia Fidalgo, Raquel Sola Díaz, Sónia Ferreira, Inês Cravo Roxo, Elmano Ramalheira, Isabel Campante Cardoso Vale, Maria João Tomás, José Miguel Ribeiro, Maria Antónia Read, Valquíria Alves, Margarida Monteiro, Dr. João Faria, Margarida Rodrigues
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1712362
Cited by: 1
References: 22

Abstract

(Lancefield group B streptococci - GBS) disease among adults is increasingly recognized worldwide. Acquisition from other humans or an individual's own microbiota is thought to be the origin of the diverse GBS lineages causing these infections. We report two cases in three consecutive years (2016-2018) of invasive GBS disease in Portugal due to the unusual ST283 lineage, a hypervirulent clone circulating in Southeast Asia (SEA) and associated to foodborne transmission and large disease outbreaks among previously healthy younger adults. The need for genetic analyses, which are infrequently performed, to identify ST283 may mean that cases of ST283 occur sporadically outside SEA but go undetected.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Neonatal and Maternal Infections Streptococcal Infections and Treatments Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria

Publication details

Journal / source
Frontiers in Microbiology
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Volume
16
Pages
1712362–1712362
Publication date
26 January 2026
Language
EN