Major study to protect babies
The trust has made a significant contribution to a study into how best to protect babies against life-threatening infections.
Bacteria known as Group B Streptococcus (GBS) are the most common cause of life-threatening infection in babies in the UK.
At present, antibiotics are given at the time of labour to prevent the babies from contacting the infection. They are effective in preventing many but not all cases of infections and can have side effects including development of antibiotic resistance in the bacteria.
Scientists are testing new vaccines in mothers that will prevent all cases of GBS infections in the babies. These vaccines are based on the GBS strains carried by mothers in their birth canal.
Dr Gopal Rao said: “The women can carry one of ten different types of GBS but six of these are responsible for 98% of all infections. A vaccine which protects against these six strains is showing promising results in Africa.
“If successful, it is likely that the vaccine will be available in the UK. It is therefore important to know what strains are prevalent in our ethnically diverse community and if the women will benefit from such a vaccine.”
A team from doctors from LNWH collaborated with scientists from Sanger Institute, Cambridge and United Kingdom Health Security Agency to study the DNA and other characteristics of the GBS strains detected in women attending our maternity services for the first time in the UK.
Dr Rao added: “The good news is that most of the women in our local population carried the strains against which the vaccine is effective and therefore are likely to benefit from the vaccine when it becomes available.
“The fact that we have one of the most diverse communities in the UK was a great sounding board to know what we are up against. The results of the study take us another step closer to a vaccine that will protect babies from what can be a nasty infection.”