PILOT STUDY TO PREVENT EARLY-ONSET GROUP B STREPTOCOCCAL DISEASE IN NEWBORNS

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to: 1) examine the occurrence of early-onset Group B Streptococcal (GBS) disease in newborns, and 2) describe the relationship between early-onset GBS disease in the newborn and the number of doses of antibiotics the mother received before delivery. Women with a positive Group B Streptococcus screening culture were added to the study based on the inclusion criteria and further grouped based on the number of doses of intrapartum antibiotics received. The mothers and infants in Group 1 received only 1 dose of intrapartum antibiotics; Group 2 received > or =2 doses of intrapartum antibiotics. The sample consisted of a total of 128 women and their infants. This pilot study used a descriptive correlational design. Data were obtained over a 6-month period by a retrospective chart review. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the demographic data and chi(2) statistical analysis was done to compare the frequency of early-onset GBS disease in each group to determine if there were differences between groups. The Pearson chi(2) value for comparing the 2 groups was 0 with 1 degree of freedom indicating no difference of probability outcome between the 2 groups. There were no differences found in the incidence of early-onset GBS disease in newborns when a GBS positive pregnant woman received 1 or 2 doses of intrapartum antibiotics. These data provide further supporting evidence for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendations that were based on the premise that vertical transmission of GBS will be greatly reduced by administration of 1 dose of intrapartum antibiotics at least 4 hours before delivery to expectant mothers.