SURVEY ON THE SITUATION OF GROUP B STREPTOCOCCUS INFECTION IN PREGNANT WOMEN OVER 35 WEEKS AT MEDLATEC GENERAL HOSPITAL

Abstract

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is still considered as leading cause of early neonatal infections. Vertical transmission from mother to child may occur when a pregnant woman was infected with GBS in vaginal - rectum at the time of labor or the water breaks of delivery. Therefore, early screening for GBS in pregnant women over 35 weeks is essential to prevent neonatal infection due to GBS.Objectives: 1) Determine the prevalence of GBS exposure in the vaginal rectum of pregnant women over 35 weeks using cultural and Realtime PCR techniques. 2) Evaluation of the sensitivity of the isolated GBS to antibiotics.Subjects and methods: Prospective study in 243 pregnant women over 35 weeks who visited and/or had a culture test for Group B Streptococcus at Medlatec General Hospital. Samples of vaginal - rectum fluid were paralelly tested by 2 methods of culture and Realtime PCR. GBS-isolated strains were tested for their susceptibility to antibiotics. 
 Results: The rate of GBS infection in pregnant women over 35 weeks by culture method is 16.9%, Realtime PCR is 18.9%. The rate of group B Streptococcus sensitive to ampicillin, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, vancomycin, linezolid are 100%; with levofloxacin at 95.0%, erythromycin at 29.0% and clindamycin at 25.0%.Conclusions: The rate of Group B Streptococcus infection in pregnant women over 35 weeks as determined by culture method (16.9%), is lower than Realtime PCR (18.9%). Group B Streptococcus is sensitive to most of the first-line antibiotics such as penicillin, ampicillin, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime and is high resistance to erythromycin (68.4%) and clindamycin (72.5%).