Group B Strep Infection

Group B strep (GBS) is a bacterium also known as Streptococcus agalactiae. This type of bacteria that causes disease in newborn babies, pregnant women, the old, and adults with other poor health, such as diabetes or liver disease. Group B strep can normally be found in 10%-35% of all healthy adult women. It can commonly be found in the intestine, vagina, and/or rectal part. The majority of GBS infections are detected in pregnant women. In pregnant women, the bacteria may cause urinary tract infection, infection of the womb and stillbirth.

In infants, GBS infection is obtained through direct contact with the bacteria while in the uterus or during delivery; thus the infection is transmitted from the colonized mother to her newborn. However, not every baby born to a colonized mother will enlarge GBS infection. The hazard of early-onset GBS disease is increased in pre-term, a break of amniotic membranes more than 18 hours before delivery, maternal age of less than 20 years and the presence of fever during labor. About half of the cases of group B strep disease among newborns happen in the first week of life, and most of these cases start a few hours after birth.

Late-onset group B strep disease grows within a week to one or two months after birth. Problems related with late-onset group B strep disease can be alike to early-onset group B strep disease, but the bang is usually less severe. The symptoms for early-onset group B strep can appear like other problems in children. Several symptoms are fever, difficulty feeding, irritability, or lethargy (limpness or hard to wake up the baby). Long-term effects of any type of group B strep disease may include seizures, hearing loss or other neurological damage.

To prevent group B strep bacteria from being passed to the infant, pregnant women who bear group B strep should be given antibiotics through the vein (IV) at the time of labor or when their water breaks. Antibiotics may be given for those women who test positive for GBS bacteria. Penicillin is the most common antibiotic that is given. If you are allergic to penicillin, there are other antibiotics that can be given. Penicillin is very secure and helpful at preventing group B strep disease in newborns. There are no individual precautions when caring for infants with GBS infection other than good hand rinsing following contact with feces and urine.