What is Group B Strep infection?
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a type of bacteria that is found in the lower intestine of 10-35% of all healthy adults and in the vagina and/or lower intestine of 10-35% of all healthy, adult women. GBS should not be confused with Group A Strep, which causes strep throat. A person whose body carries GBS bacteria but who does not show signs of infections is said to be “colonized” with GBS. GBS colonization is not contagious. GBS bacteria are a normal part of the commonly found bacteria in the human body.Normally, the presence of GBS does not cause problems. In certain circumstances, however, GBS bacteria can invade the body and cause serious infection: this is referred to as GBS disease.
Group B Strep S. agalactiae, or GBS, causes meningitis in neonates and the elderly, with occasional systemic bacteremia. They can also colonize the female reproductive tract, increasing the risk for premature rupture of membranes and transmission to the child. The CDC recommends women who are pregnant should be tested for Group B Strep and given antibiotics during labor in order to reduce the risk of transmission to the baby They usually wait to test you till around 34 weeks and then if you are carrying it they wait till you are in labor to treat you with iv antibiotics to minimize the chances that you will pass it to the baby during labor. If you go through labor too soon then they have to give the baby IV antibiotics for 48 hours before they can go home. Otherwise your baby could get really sick. Group B strep remains the most common cause among newborns (neonates) of infection of the blood (septicemia) and of the brain (meningitis).
