The 1997 AAP guidelines for prevention of early-onset group B streptococcal disease. American Academy of Pediatrics.

Abstract

Representatives from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) participated in the develop ment of the 1996 consensus guidelines for the prevention of early-onset group B streptococcal (GBS) disease with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), and the American Academy of Family Physicians.1 In March 1997, these guidelines were formally endorsed and the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases and the Committee on Fetus and Newborn provided additional recommendations for the management of infants born to mothers receiving intrapartum prophylaxis.2 Gotoff and Boyer3 in a recent commentary were apparently unaware of the change in AAP guidelines and they incorrectly referred to the 1992 policy as current policy. They also incorrectly indicated that the ACOG guidelines differed from those of the CDC and the AAP. The consensus between obstetric and pediatric physicians in the development of the CDC guidelines is an important accomplishment, one that has been associated with a reduction in the incidence of early-onset GBS disease in areas of active surveillance (Figure).4 …