Group B Streptococcus (GBS) remains a leading cause of early-onset neonatal sepsis. Rates of maternal colonization have not changed, but universal antenatal screening at 35–37 weeks along with the use of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) has resulted in a decrease of early-onset disease.1
Challenges remain, including:
- Risk of change of GBS colonization status following screening at 35–37 weeks of gestation2,3
- Some women with unknown GBS status presenting at Labor and Delivery unit4,5
- Risk-based IAP exposes 65–85% of GBS-negative women to antibiotics6
1 Wicker E, et al. Group B streptococci: declining incidence in infants in Germany. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2019 May;38(5):516–9.
2 Helmig R, et al. Diagnostic accuracy of polymerase chain reaction for intrapartum detection of Group B Streptococcus colonization. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2017
Sep;96(9):1070-1074.
3 Melin P. Neonatal group B streptococcal disease: from pathogenesis to preventive strategies. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2011 Sep;17(9):1294-303.
4 Di Renzo et al. Intrapartum GBS screening and antibiotic prophylaxis: a European consensus conference. J Maternal Fetal Neonatal Med. 2014:1-17. Available at: https://pubmed.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25162923
5 ASM, March 2020, Guidelines for the Detection and Identification of Group B Streptococcus - Revised Guidelines from CDC, 2020
6 Saari A, et al. Antibiotic exposure in infancy and risk of being overweight in the first 24 months of life. Pediatrics. 2015 Apr;135(4):617–626.