09/07/2013
July is International Group B Strep Awareness Month
Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a type of bacterial infection that can be found in pregnant women. This bacteria is normally found in 15 percent to 40 percent of all healthy, adult women.
Those women who test positive for GBS are said to be colonized. A mother can pass GBS to her baby during delivery. Not every baby who is born to a mother who tests positive for GBS will become ill.
Although GBS is rare in pregnant women, the outcome can be severe, and therefore physicians include testing as a routine part of prenatal care.
How can I find out if I have Group B Strep infection?
A routine screening for va**nal strep B for all pregnant women is recommended. This screening is performed between the 35th and 37th week of pregnancy (anytime other than this time will not be significant to show if a woman is carrying GBS during the time of her delivery).
The test involves a swab of both the va**na and the re**um. The sample is then taken to a lab where a culture is analyzed for any presence of GBS. Test results are usually available within 24 to 48 hours.
All women who have risk factors PRIOR to being screened for GBS (for example, women who have preterm labor beginning prior to 37 completed weeks' gestation) are treated with IV antibiotics until their GBS status is established.
How does someone get group B strep?
The bacteria that causes group B strep normally lives in the intestine, va**na, or re**al areas. Group B strep colonization is not a sexually transmitted disease (STD). For most women there are no symptoms of carrying the GBS bacteria.
What if I test positive for Group B Strep infection?
If you test positive for GBS this simply means that you are a carrier. Not every baby who is born to a mother who tests positive for GBS will become ill. Approximately one of every 100 to 200 babies whose mothers carry GBS will develop signs and symptoms of GBS disease. There are, however, symptoms that may indicate that you are at a higher risk of delivering a baby with GBS. These symptoms include:
• Labor or rupture of membrane before 37 weeks
• Rupture of membrane 18 hours or more before delivery
• Fever during labor
• A urinary tract infection as a result of GBS during your pregnancy
• A previous baby with GBS disease
In this case your physician will want to use antibiotics for prevention and protection.
According to the CDC, if you have tested positive and are not in the high risk category, then your chances of delivering a baby with GBS are:
• 1 in 200 if antibiotics are not given
• 1 in 4000 if antibiotics are given
How can I protect my baby from Group B Strep infection?
If you test positive for GBS and meet the high risk criteria, then your physician will recommend giving you antibiotics through IV during your delivery to prevent your baby from becoming ill. Taking antibiotics greatly decreases the chances of your baby becoming ill.
For women who are group B strep carriers, antibiotics before labor starts are not a good way to get rid of group B strep bacteria. Since they naturally live in the gastrointestinal tract, the bacteria can come back after antibiotics. A woman may test positive at certain times and not at others. That’s why it is important for all pregnant women to be tested for group B strep between 35 to 37 weeks of every pregnancy.
If you are at a low risk, the decision to use antibiotics is up to you.
How does Group B Strep infection affect a newborn baby?
Babies may experience early or late-onset of GBS.
The signs and symptoms of early onset GBS include:
• Signs and symptoms occurring within hours of delivery
• Breathing problems, heart and blood pressure instability
• Gastrointestinal and kidney problems
• Sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis are the most common complications
Newborns with early-onset are treated the same as the mothers, which is through intravenous antibiotics.
The signs and symptoms of late-onset GBS include:
• Signs and symptoms occurring within a week or a few months of delivery
• Meningitis is the most common symptom
• Late-onset GBS is not as common as early-onset
Late-onset of GBS could be a result of delivery, or the baby may have contracted it by coming into contact with someone who has GBS.
