The Fall 2024 Biology Seminar Series continues with a talk from Dr. Lamar Thomas, "Bacteria versus Host: The Paradigm in a Female Reproductive Model."
Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Strep, GBS) infections in neonates are often fatal and strongly associated with maternal GBS vaginal colonization. The use of preventive intrapartum antibiotics, while effective against early onset diseases, have their own pitfalls and have no effect on late onset neonatal GBS diseases. As such, a more long-term strategy such as vaccination is required to contain GBS infections. Here, we investigated the role of a previously uncharacterized but highly conserved protein, BvaP, in GBS vaginal colonization. BvaP, a highly conserved protein made up of repeating domains, was found to affect GBS mucosal colonization and cellular morphologies including cell shape, chain length, and clumping.
