Abstract
BackgroundThe aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Streptococcus agalactiae (group B streptococci, GBS) among healthy, pregnant women attending antenatal care at different study sites in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana.MethodsBetween 2010 and June 2013, recto-vaginal swab samples were collected from pregnant women attending antenatal care from two study sites in southern Ghana. The samples were collected within 35 and 37 weeks of the gestation period. These were inoculated into Todd-Hewitt broth followed by sub-culturing onto a sheep-blood agar plate. Identification was performed on a single subcultured colony. Gram staining was performed, and isolates were evaluated for beta-haemolytic reactions. Furthermore, the isolates were serotyped using the GBS latex serotyping kit.ResultsThe carriage rates were found to be 25.5% (95% CI: 19.6–32.1) to 28.0% (95% CI: 21.9–34.8) for the two collection sites. The most common serotypes were serotypes VII and IX. The data showed that women below 20 years of age or above 30 years of age have a significantly (p = 0.037) higher risk of carrying GBS compared to women from the age group of 20 to 30 years.ConclusionsThe findings of this study revealed that prevalence of GBS colonization in pregnant women in Greater Accra region is high and comparable to rates observed in South Africa and Western countries. The most prevalent serotypes were serotypes VII and IX, which have not been observed before in West Africa.
Highlights
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Streptococcus agalactiae among healthy, pregnant women attending antenatal care at different study sites in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana
The pathogenesis of the disease in neonates is generally described in two stages: i) Early-onset disease (EOD) which by definition occurs in the neonate during the first six days of life, or ii) late-onset disease (LOD) which is defined as occurring from seven days of life and can develop up to three months of age [1, 2]
Slotved et al BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth (2017) 17:238 strategies resulted in a decline in the EOD, the Late-onset disease (LOD) remains the same [3]
Summary
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Streptococcus agalactiae (group B streptococci, GBS) among healthy, pregnant women attending antenatal care at different study sites in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. Slotved et al BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth (2017) 17:238 strategies resulted in a decline in the EOD, the LOD remains the same [3]. This is, not the case in the developing countries and in Africa [1, 4], where GBS is still one of the the leading cause of neonatal diseases. A recent publication from the Central Region of Ghana showed the first carriage rate of GBS among pregnant women [2]
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