{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]],"date-time":"2026-09-14T13:06:47Z","timestamp":1789391207560,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":18,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]],"date-time":"2026-09-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789344000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Robinson Research Institute Step Up Funding Research Grant"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Vaccines"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Vaccines for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) intended for pregnant women are currently in advanced stages of clinical trials. Conducting preparatory research now can help identify factors influencing GBS vaccine acceptance and potential challenges to future implementation. Methods: This qualitative study recruited participants nationally through social media and antenatal clinics of a maternity hospital in South Australia between December 2024 and August 2025. Eligible participants were pregnant women aged \u226518 years residing in Australia. Online interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) were held to explore pregnant women\u2019s knowledge and perceptions of GBS, experiences with current screening and management strategies, and views on future maternal GBS vaccination. Twenty-five women participated in FGDs and six in individual interviews; FGD group sizes ranged from two to five participants. Data were analysed using inductive content analysis. Results: A total of 31 pregnant women participated, aged 19\u201343 years. Most participants (51.6%) were from South Australia, 87.1% had tertiary education, and 51.6% were employed in the health sector. Five themes were identified: (1) infant wellbeing is the dominant driver of vaccine acceptance, (2) maternal vaccination is preferred over current antibiotic prophylaxis, (3) perceived uncertainty about vaccine safety and knowledge gaps fuel caution, (4) accessible and flexible vaccination delivery models are desired, and (5) multimodal, woman-centred communication delivered through trusted healthcare providers is required. Conclusions: Findings highlight the importance of addressing knowledge and safety concerns and incorporating accessible, flexible and woman-centred approaches into the planning of future maternal GBS vaccination programmes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vaccines14090807","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]],"date-time":"2026-09-14T12:09:51Z","timestamp":1789387791000},"page":"807","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Preparing for Future Group B Streptococcus Vaccines: Perspectives of Pregnant Women in Australia"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2434-8370","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Prabha H.","family":"Andraweera","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, College of Health, Adelaide University, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia"},{"name":"Vaccinology and Immunology Research Trials Unit, Women\u2019s and Children\u2019s Health Network, Adelaide, SA 5006, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5071-400X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Emma","family":"Jeffs","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Practice Development Unit, Women\u2019s and Children\u2019s Health Network, Adelaide, SA 5006, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bing","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, College of Health, Adelaide University, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia"},{"name":"Vaccinology and Immunology Research Trials Unit, Women\u2019s and Children\u2019s Health Network, Adelaide, SA 5006, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Helen S.","family":"Marshall","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, College of Health, Adelaide University, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia"},{"name":"Vaccinology and Immunology Research Trials Unit, Women\u2019s and Children\u2019s Health Network, Adelaide, SA 5006, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e807","DOI":"10.1016\/S2214-109X(22)00093-6","article-title":"Group B streptococcus infection during pregnancy and infancy: Estimates of regional and global burden","volume":"10","author":"Procter","year":"2022","journal-title":"Lancet Glob. Health"},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"RANZCOG (2026, September 07). Maternal Group B Streptococcus in Pregnancy: Screening and Management (C-Obs-19). Available online: https:\/\/ranzcog.edu.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/Maternal-Group-B-Streptococcus-in-Pregnancy-Screening-Management.pdf."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Li, S., Huang, J., Chen, Z., Guo, D., Yao, Z., and Ye, X. (2017). Antibiotic Prevention for Maternal Group B Streptococcal Colonization on Neonatal GBS-Related Adverse Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis. Front. Microbiol., 8.","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2017.00374"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"119","DOI":"10.1093\/humupd\/dmu041","article-title":"Maternal vaccination: Moving the science forward","volume":"21","author":"Faucette","year":"2015","journal-title":"Hum. Reprod. Update"},{"key":"ref_5","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2016). 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Dis."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"127062","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vaccine.2025.127062","article-title":"Factors influencing acceptance of RSV immunization for newborns among pregnant individuals: A mixed-methods study","volume":"55","author":"Gagnon","year":"2025","journal-title":"Vaccine"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S149","DOI":"10.1097\/INF.0000000000004641","article-title":"Perception of a Novel Group B Streptococcus Vaccine Among Pregnant and Lactating Individuals","volume":"44","author":"Sosa","year":"2025","journal-title":"Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kilich, E., Dada, S., Francis, M.R., Tazare, J., Chico, R.M., Paterson, P., and Larson, H.J. (2020). Factors that influence vaccination decision-making among pregnant women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS ONE, 15.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0234827"}],"container-title":["Vaccines"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-393X\/14\/9\/807\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]],"date-time":"2026-09-14T12:44:29Z","timestamp":1789389869000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-393X\/14\/9\/807"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]]},"references-count":18,"journal-issue":{"issue":"9","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]}},"alternative-id":["vaccines14090807"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/vaccines14090807","relation":{},"ISSN":["2076-393X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2076-393X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]]}}}