How are serious group B strep infections diagnosed?
If doctors suspect a patient has an invasive group B strep infection, they will take a sample of sterile body fluids, such as blood or spinal fluid. Group B strep disease is diagnosed when the bacteria are grown from cultures of those fluids. Cultures take a few days to grow. How are serious group B strep infections treated? Group B strep bacteria are usually treated with penicillin or other common antibiotics. Sometimes soft tissue and bone infections may need surgery. Your treatment will vary according to the kind of infection with group B strep you have, and you should ask your doctors about specific treatment options. Is there any way to prevent group B strep disease in adults? Standard infection control measures, particularly for patients who are hospitalized or in nursing homes, help reduce the risk of bacterial infections, including those caused by group B strep. Researchers are currently working on developing a group B strep vaccine which may one day be available to the public
