Group B Streptococcus Colonization: Prevalence and its Effect on Maternal and Neonatal Outcome

INTRODUCTION:: Group B Streptococcus (GBS), a leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality, asymptomatically colonizes the vaginal and rectal areas of women. The colonization of these regions is a risk factor for subsequent infection in pregnant women and newborns. The aim of this study was to find out the extent of Group B Streptococcus colonization in pregnant women and to determine the maternal and neonatal outcome in those colonized with Group B Streptococcus. METHODS:: It was a prospective study in which vaginal and rectal samples were collected from 485 healthy pregnant women, between the 35th and 37th weeks of pregnancy enrolled in the antenatal OPD at the Obstetrics and Gynecology department of Lady Hardinge Medical college and associated hospital. All the samples were cultured and subcultured after enrichment in a selective medium. RESULTS:: GBS strains were isolated from 13 out of 485 women, corresponding to detection rates of vaginal/rectal GBS colonization of 2.89 %. Of the organisms the high vaginal swab in most had growth of Ecoli (88.6 %) and enterococci (48.7 %). The colonization rates in vagina, rectum and both vagina and rectum were 1.34 %, 0.66 % and 0.89 % respectively. The occurrence of premature rupture of membranes was comparatively higher in the GBS positive group than in the GBS negative group (23 % verses 11 %). There was an increased frequency of preterm labor in women who were GBS positive compared to GBS negative women (30.7 % and 9.2 %). However neonatal outcome were favourable in both the groups. CONCLUSIONS:: As the rate of GBS colonization in our population was low so, there is likely to be the possibility of increasing the chances of antibiotic resistance in the women due to intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis.