CsbD, A Novel Group B Streptococcal Stress Response Factor that Contributes to Bacterial Resistance against Environmental Bile Salts

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) can cause many serious infections and result in severe symptoms depending on the infected organs. To survive and initiate infection from the gastrointestinal tract, GBS must resist physiochemical factors, such as bile salts, a potent antibacterial compound in the intestine. We found that GBS isolated from diverse sources all possess the capability to defend bile salts and permit survival. By constructing the GBS A909 Tn mutant library (A909Tn), we identified several candidate genes that might participate in the bile salt resistance of GBS.