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GROUP B STREPTOCOCCAL COLONIZATION OF PREGNANT WOMEN AND THEIR NEONATES Epidemiological Study and Controlled Trial of Prophylactic Treatment of the Newborn
Author(s) -
GERARD P.,
VERGHOTED'HULST M.,
BACHY A.,
DUHAUT G.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1979.tb08218.x
Subject(s) - medicine , group b , incidence (geometry) , group a , penicillin , carriage , pregnancy , epidemiology , pediatrics , erythromycin , randomized controlled trial , colonization , obstetrics , streptococcus , antibiotics , microbiology and biotechnology , physics , genetics , pathology , bacteria , optics , biology
. Colonization with group B streptococci of the genital tract was studied in 1115 women during the last trimester of pregnancy. 76 or 6.82 % were found to harbour this bacterium. The incidence of contamination was significantly higher among Belgian women than among parturients of Mediterranean origin ( p < 0.001). It was also more frequent in primigravidae ( p <0.05) and in the poorer (0.10 < p > 0.05). At the time of admission in the delivery room, it was noticed that rupture of the amniotic membranes for more than 24 hours was more often associated with group B streptococcal carriage by the mother ( p <0.001). 29 out of 68 (42.6%) infants born to group B streptococci positive mothers were colonized at birth. 67 of them were submitted to a controlled trial of immediate versus delayed penicillin therapy. 44.8 % and 42.1 % of the neonates were contaminated at birth in each group of treatment respectively. No instance of group B streptococcal infection developed in either group. This suggests that immediate therapy with penicillin of infants of group B streptococci positive mothers has no definite advantage upon delayed treatment.