Group B streptococcus (also called beta strep, or GBS), is a very common type of bacteria. Ten to thirty percent of pregnant women carry GBS bacteria. Most often the bacteria are in the vagina or rectum. GBS bacteria are different from the type of bacteria that cause strep throat.
Healthy adults carrying GBS may not have any symptoms or problems. However, sometimes the bacteria can cause an infection in the uterus, bladder, or kidneys. These infections in adults are usually not serious and can be treated with antibiotics. But a baby can get very sick and even die if the mother has untreated GBS.
Both women and men may have GBS. The bacteria often live in the mouth, bowel, bladder, vagina, and rectum. A woman who carries GBS can pass it to her baby during labor or delivery.
GBS can be found by testing urine or swabbing the vagina or rectum. The samples of fluid are cultured in a lab. A test result is positive if beta strep bacteria are found in the culture. The test is negative if the bacteria are not found. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that all pregnant women have a GBS culture in the 35th to 37th weeks of pregnancy.
A rapid test for GBS may be done when you go to the hospital to deliver your baby. The results of this test can be known in 2 to 3 hours. However, it is less accurate than cultures and is rarely used earlier in a pregnancy.
If your tests for beta strep are positive, you will probably not be treated until you are in labor. During labor you will be given intravenous (IV) antibiotics. If you were treated earlier in the pregnancy, the bacteria could come back again before the baby is born. The one exception is when a urine culture, done at any time during pregnancy, shows that GBS is causing a bladder infection. In this case your health care provider will probably prescribe an oral antibiotic to treat the infection.
Because infection of the baby can cause serious problems, you may be treated during labor if you have any risk factors for beta strep infection, even if your test results are negative. The risk factors are:
Treatment with IV antibiotics during labor is usually very effective. Babies rarely develop the serious side effects of GBS infection with this treatment.
If a newborn develops any signs or symptoms of GBS infection, the baby is treated with IV antibiotics and watched very closely. The baby may stay in a special intensive care unit.
A woman who has GBS does not usually have any symptoms of illness or long-lasting effects. The main risk is that the newborn will become sick. GBS infection can affect the baby's blood, brain, spinal cord, or lungs. The baby may have long-term problems that affect hearing, vision, or learning abilities if the brain is infected. The baby might die.
Getting tested for GBS and being treated with antibiotics during labor, if necessary, greatly reduces the risk that your baby will be infected with GBS.
Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.
HIA File WOM5301F.HTM Release 9.0/2006
Copyright © 2006 McKesson Corporation and/or one of its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.