Your Questions Answered
What is Group B Strep?
Group B Strep (GBS) is a bacterium that can live with humans. It lives in the lower genital tract and gastrointestinal system along with other harmless bacteria. Anyone can carry it, and few people get sick from it. About 25% of women are carriers of GBS. This bacteria can cause illness in pregnant women and infants. If infection occurs during pregnancy it is called chorioamnionitis.
How does the infant become infected?
Most GBS infections occur around the time of delivery. This is called “early onset” and infants most often develop symptoms within the first seven days of life, but usually during the first day. Infants suffer from pneumonia, sepsis (blood infection) and meningitis (infection of the membranes surrounding the brain). Infants can develop late onset infection and this most often occurs seven days to three months of age.
When do we test for GBS?
Your doctor or certified nurse midwife will take a culture between 35 and 37 weeks of pregnancy. A Q-tip is used to collect a sample from the rectum and vagina. This is sent to the laboratory for testing.
What happens if it is positive?
Antibiotics are given to the pregnant woman in labor in order to prevent GBS bacteria from being passed to the infant. Penicillin is the drug of choice. It is given through a vein at the time of labor or when water breaks. If a pregnant woman is allergic to penicillin it is important to tell your caregiver. There are other medicines that can be given but it is best that we make sure the others will be effective in treating the bacteria by first testing it in the laboratory.
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