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If you have been told that group B Strep has been found from a vaginal or rectal swab, or from a urine sample, you may want to find out more. This section will clarify some common misconceptions, and give you the facts you need.
Firstly, it is important to know that carrying GBS is perfectly normal and natural. It is found as part of the normal gut flora in up to a third of people (men and women), and colonises the vagina in roughly a quarter of all women. Although GBS can be passed through sexual contact, it is not a sexually transmitted disease, and carrying the bacterium is not associated with any health risks or symptoms to the carrier. It is also relatively common amongst adults who have never had any sexual contact. Carrying GBS in the gastrointestinal tract or vagina does not require treatment (however, the presence of GBS in the urine/ blood signifies a GBS infection, which may require antibiotics - your doctor can advise further). More information on GBS can be found here.
If you know you carry GBS during pregnancy this is, believe it or not, good to know. If you know about it, you can have intravenous antibiotics in labour which massively reduce the risk of your newborn baby developing group B Strep infection. Most pregnant women in the UK don't know if they carry GBS so can't take preventative measures.
- If group B Strep has been found during your current pregnancy from a vaginal or rectal swab, no treatment is required (or beneficial) during pregnancy until labour starts, when you should be offered intravenous antibiotics. No antibiotics tested so far can eradicate GBS carriage and the time when antibiotics have been shown to be most effective at preventing GBS infection in newborn babies is when they're given as soon as possible once labour has started and at regular intervals until the baby is born. Research has shown this dramatically reduces the risk of GBS infection in a newborn baby.
- If group B Strep was found during your current pregnancy from a urine sample, this means that the GBS was more invasive, and so intravenous antibiotics will be recommended in labour.
Not every pregnant Mum who finds out she carries GBS will want intravenous antibiotics in labour. You may decide not to have them unless there are other additional risk factors - after all, only a small percentage of babies born to Mums carrying GBS at delivery will actually develop GBS infection. If you do decide against antibiotics in labour, it would be prudent for the baby to be observed by trained staff for at least 24 hours.
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What people does strep b affect?
Group B streptococcus (group B strep) is a common bacterium often carried in the intestines or lower genital tract. Although group B strep is usually harmless in adults, it can be serious for the newborns.But if you're pregnant, a group B strep screening test in the third trimester and antibiotic treatment during labor can help protect your baby.
Does group B strep cause preterm labor?
No
You are pregnant and have a group b staph infection?
I think you mean to say you have a group B strep infection.
Should condoms be used if a pregnant woman has group b strep?
There is no need. Group B strep, if present, can cause problems for the pregnancy but it is a normal colonizing bacteria, not an infection that can be caught.
What type of bacteria cause strep throat?
Strep throat is caused by streptococcal (strep) bacteria.
What problems does Group B strep present to newborns?
Newborns who are exposed to Group B strep can have inflammation of the brain, spinal cord, blood or lungs. In some cases, this serious complication can result in infant death.
Could group b strep cause scalded skin syndrome?
yes
What is the ICD-9 code for pregnancy with group b strep?
What do you think it is? I have no idea...
Strep test group for hemolytic strep?
This would be the beta group
Who is most likely to get Group B infection?
Group B strep (GBS) most often affects pregnant women, infants, the elderly, and chronically ill adults.
What is the problem when b positive blood group women marry a b negative blood group men?
no problem
How do you get rid of vaginal strep if you are 37 weeks' pregnant and can it affect you partner?
Group B Strep will probably not cause any problem for the mother or the partner, many, many people carry it, are unaware and never have a problem. It's most commonly found in the intestines (men and women) although also if found in the vagina. It's completely normal in the intestines and vagina, and doesn't need treating. So far no antibiotics have been found which will reliably eradicate it from the body, which is why group B Strep found on a vaginal or rectal swab isn't treated during pregnancy. Although group B Strep found in a urine sample should be treated when it's found. The time when antibiotics are effective against group B Strep infection in babies is when they're given intravenously (through a vein) to mothers whose babies are at higher risk of developing group B Strep infection, from the start of their labour and at intervals until delivery. It's around labour and delivery that the baby is more likely to be exposed to group B Strep and, if susceptible, develop infection. So, as soon as labour start or your waters break, go directly to the hospital and you will be put on antibiotics. The antibiotics will pass into the baby and help protect it. If you have the baby very quickly, before the antibiotics get into it, the baby may need antibiotics given after birth, but otherwise you should both be ok. See: http://www.gbsa.org http://www.gbss.org.uk http://www.childbirth.org/articles/GBS.html
