Group B Strep in Pregnancy & Babies - Virtual Conference
Our Virtual Conference Group B Strep in Pregnancy & Babies on Wednesday, 2 June 2021 was a must-attend event for anyone interested in group B Strep.
Group B Strep is the leading cause of neonatal sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis in the UK. Our one-day virtual conference will bring together leading international experts to talk about group B Strep prevention policies, different testing options, antibiotic usage, and the progress towards a GBS vaccine.
Our conference Chairs were Edward Morris (President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Chair of Trustees for Group B Strep Support) & Kathryn Gutteridge (President of the Royal College of Midwives and Trustee of Group B Strep Support).
Speakers included Carol J Baker (Professor of Pediatrics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas, Sabin Gold Medal winner, National Academy of Sciences, USA), Prof Androulla Efstratiou (Imperial College London and Director, WHO Global Collaborating Centre for Diphtheria & Streptococcal Infections) and Prof Anne Mackie (Director of Screening for Public Health England).
The conference was approved by the Royal College of Pathologists for 6 CPD credits
The full programme was recorded is available after the event to those who register.
Who should attend? Anyone with an interest in group B Strep and maternity and neonatal care, including:
- Obstetricians
- Microbiologists
- Midwives
- Neonatologists
- Paediatricians
- Public Health Specialists
- GPs
- All Health Professionals
- Clinical Negligence Specialists
- Other interested stakeholders
Full Programme:
09:00 – 09:05 Welcome and introduction – Nadine Dorries MP
Minister of State for Mental Health, Suicide Prevention and Patient Safety
09:05 – 09:10 Why are we having this conference? – Dr Edward Morris
President of the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, Chair of Group B Strep Support and morning Chair
09:10 – 09:50 Prevention of GBS in Mothers, Fetuses and Babies: A Vision – Dr Carol J Baker
Professor of Pediatrics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas, Sabin Gold Medal winner, National Academy of Sciences, USA
09:50 – 10:15 Insights from surveillance of infant GBS disease in England – Dr Theresa Lamagni
Senior Epidemiologist. Healthcare-Associated Infection & Antimicrobial Resistance, Public Health England.
10:15 – 10:25 BREAK
10:25 – 10:50 Group B Streptococcus (GBS) screening recommendation and evidence gaps – Prof Anne Mackie
Director of Screening for Public Health England. Director of Programmes for the UK National Screening Committee.
10:50 – 11:00 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Guideline on the Prevention of Early-Onset Neonatal Group B Streptococcal Disease – Prof Philip Steer
Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London. Representative of the RCOG’s 2017 Guidelines Group.
11:00 – 11:10 Group B Strep prevention in the UK: past, present and future – Jane Plumb & Prof Philip Steer
Jane Plumb – Chief Executive of Group B Strep Support & Philip Steer – Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London.
11:10 – 11:30 Q&A and Discussion – Chaired by Edward Morris, with Theresa Lamagni, Anne Mackie, Philip Steer and Jane Plumb
11:30 – 11:40 BREAK
11:40 – 11:55 Accuracy of a rapid test in early labour for maternal group B Strep colonisation and its potential to reduce antibiotic usage in mothers with risk factors – the GBS2 study – Prof Shakila Thangaratinam
Professor of Maternal and Perinatal Health, University of Birmingham, Joint Director of WHO Collaborating Centre for Global Women’s Health
11:55 – 12:10 NIHR-funded national trial comparing testing pregnant women for GBS vs current UK practice: GBS3 trial – Prof Jane Daniels & Dr Kate Walker
Jane Daniels – Professor of Clinical Trials, University of Nottingham. Kate Walker – Associate Professor of Obstetrics and consultant obstetrician, University of Nottingham.
12:10 – 12:20 Parent's view – Lynsey White
12:20 – 12:40 Q&A and Discussion – Chaired by Edward Morris, with Shakila Thangaratinam, Jane Daniels and Lynsey White
12:40 – 13:10 Lunch Break
13:10 – 13:15 Afternoon session introduction – Kathryn Gutteridge
President of the Royal College of Midwives, Trustee of Group B Strep Support and Afternoon Chair
13:15 – 13:20 Learning from when things go wrong with detection, escalation and treatment of group B Strep in maternity care – Annette Anderson
Head of the Early Notification Scheme (clinical), NHS Resolution.
13:20 – 13:45 How best to detect group B Strep: technique of taking samples, culture methods and PCR tests – Prof Androulla Efstratiou
Imperial College London and Director, WHO Global Collaborating Centre for Diphtheria & Streptococcal Infections
13:45 – 14:05 Do differences between strains of group B Strep matter? – Prof Kirsty Le Doare
Professor of Vaccinology and Immunology, St George’s University of London
14:05 – 14:25 Using Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) to study the evolution and genetic diversity of Group B Streptococcus – Dr Dorota Jamrozy
Postdoctoral Fellow, the Wellcome Sanger Institute
14:25 – 14:45 Q&A and Discussion – Chaired by Kathryn Gutteridge, with Annette Anderson, Androulla Efstratiou and Kirsty Le Doare
14:45 – 14:55 BREAK
14:55 – 15:10 Detecting group B Strep infection in the newborn – the updated NICE neonatal infection guideline – Dr Alison Bedford Russell
Deputy Chief of Neonatal Clinical Services at Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
15:10 – 15:30 Do antibiotics given in labour for group B Strep have a harmful effect on the microbiome? – Prof Mark Turrentine
Professor, Baylor College of Medicine Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Houston Texas
15:30 – 15:50 Q&A and Discussion – Chaired by Kathryn Gutteridge, with Alison Bedford Russell and Philip Steer
15:50 – 16:00 BREAK
16:00 – 16:10 Parent's view – Frances Hill
16:10 – 16:30 20 million pregnant women worldwide with GBS: deaths and new data on long-term outcomes – Prof Joy Lawn
Professor of Maternal, Reproductive and Child Health, Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Maternal, Adolescent, Reproductive & Child Health (MARCH) Centre.
16:30 – 16:50 Progress towards a Group B Strep vaccine: Trials & Tribulations – Prof Paul Heath
Professor of Paediatric Infectious Diseases at St George’s University of London
16:50 – 17:05 Update on an exploratory hexavalent Maternal GBS vaccine – Dr Annaliesa S Anderson
Chief Scientific Officer Bacterial Vaccines, Pfizer
17:05 – 17:30 Final questions, summary and conclusions. Edward Morris and Kathryn Gutteridge, with Frances Hill, Joy Lawn, Paul Heath, Annaliesa Anderson and Carol Baker
17:30 Conference ends