About group b strep infection

What is group b strep infection?

Group B strep facts

  • Group B strep are bacteria found normally in the intestine, vagina, and rectal area in about 25% of all healthy women.
  • Group B strep infections can affect neonates and adults.
  • Most pregnant women who are colonized by the bacteria have no symptoms.
  • The infection can be spread to infants before or during delivery.
  • Signs and symptoms in babies may include fever, breathing problems, lethargy, and poor feeding.
  • Diagnosis of GBS infection is made by isolating the organism from body fluids.
  • The treatment for GBS infection is antibiotics.
  • Complications of GBS infection include sepsis, pneumonia, meningitis, or occasionally death.
  • In pregnant women, routine screening for colonization with GBS is recommended.

What is group B strep?

Group B strep (GBS) is a type of gram-positive streptococcal bacteria also known as Streptococcus agalactiae. This type of bacteria (not to be confused with group A strep which causes "strep throat") is commonly found in the human body, and it usually does not cause any symptoms. However, in certain cases, it can be a dangerous cause of various infections that can affect nonpregnant adults, pregnant women, and their newborn infants. In the United States, approximately 19,800 cases of GBS infection occur annually across all age groups. Group B strep infection is the most common cause of sepsis and meningitis in the United States during a newborn's first week of life.

Group B strep infection can also afflict nonpregnant adults with certain chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and cancer. The incidence of GBS infection in adults increases with age, with the highest rate in adults 65 years of age and older (20-25 cases per 100,000). Although the incidence of neonatal group B strep infection has been decreasing, the incidence of group B strep infection in nonpregnant adults has been increasing.

In neonates and nonpregnant adults who develop invasive GBS infection, intravenous antibiotics are also the mainstay of treatment. There are certain conditions associated with invasive GBS infection that may require surgical intervention, for example surgical debridement in certain patients with soft tissue/skin infections.

What are the complications of group B strep infection?

Invasive infection with GBS in babies may result in sepsis, pneumonia, meningitis, or occasionally death. In some babies who survive, meningitis, deafness, blindness. or developmental disabilities may occur. In the United States, the mortality (death) rate for group B strep infection in babies is about 5%.

In pregnant women, infection with GBS may cause urinary tract infection, infection of the uterus and placenta, as well as preterm delivery, stillbirth, or miscarriage. Mortality rates in these patients are low because they tend to be healthy young or middle-aged individuals.

In nonpregnant adults with chronic medical conditions who develop invasive GBS infection, complications may include pneumonia, urinary tract infection, sepsis, skin and soft-tissue infection, bone and joint infection, and rarely meningitis. This group of patients tends to have higher mortality rates, ranging from 8%-47% depending on the published report.

What are the symptoms for group b strep infection?

Most babies born to women carrying group B strep are healthy. But the few who are infected by group B strep during labor can become critically ill.

In infants, illness caused by group B strep can be within six hours of birth (early onset) — or weeks or months after birth (late onset).

Signs and symptoms might include:

  • Fever
  • Low body temperature
  • Difficulty feeding
  • Sluggishness, Limpness or weak muscle tone
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Irritability
  • Jitteriness
  • Seizures
  • Rash
  • Jaundice

Adults

Many adults carry group B strep in their bodies — usually in the bowel, vagina, rectum, bladder or throat — and have no signs or symptoms.

In some cases, however, group B strep can cause a urinary tract infection or other more-serious infections. Signs and symptoms of infections that may be caused by group B strep include the following.

Urinary tract infection

  • A strong, persistent urge to urinate
  • A burning sensation or Pain when urinating
  • Passing frequent, small amounts of urine
  • Urine that appears red, bright pink or cola colored — a sign of blood in the urine
  • Pelvic pain

Blood infection (bacteremia)

  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Confusion or lack of alertness

Pneumonia

  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Chest Pain when you breathe or cough

Skin or soft-tissue infection

  • Swelling, warmth or redness in the area of the infection
  • Pain in the area of the infection
  • Lesions with pus or drainage

Bone or joint infection

  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Swelling, warmth or redness over the area of the infection
  • Pain in the area of the infection
  • Stiffness or inability to use a limb or joint

What are the causes for group b strep infection?

Many healthy people carry group B strep bacteria in their bodies. You might carry the bacteria in your body for a short time — it can come and go — or you might always have it. Group B strep bacteria aren't sexually transmitted, and they're not spread through food or water. How the bacteria are spread to anyone other than newborns isn't known.

Group B strep can spread to a baby during a vaginal delivery if the baby is exposed to — or swallows — fluids containing group B strep.

What are the treatments for group b strep infection?

For women who test positive for GBS during pregnancy and for those with certain risk factors for developing or transmitting GBS infection during pregnancy, intravenous antibiotics are recommended at the time of labor. The administration of antibiotics to women before labor who are known to be colonized with GBS is not effective in preventing early onset disease, as it has been found that the GBS bacteria can grow back quickly. Pregnant women who are not aware of their group B strep status should be given antibiotics during labor if they develop preterm labor (less than 37 weeks gestation), if they have membrane rupture for 18 hours or longer, or if they develop fever during labor. Penicillin or ampicillin are the recommended antibiotics. The administration of antibiotics has been shown to significantly decrease GBS early onset infection in newborns; however, it does not prevent late-onset GBS infection. If a pregnant carrier of GBS receives intravenous antibiotics during delivery, her baby has a one in 4,000 chance of developing GBS infection. Without antibiotics, her baby has a one in 200 chance of developing GBS infection.

In neonates and nonpregnant adults who develop invasive GBS infection, intravenous antibiotics are also the mainstay of treatment. There are certain conditions associated with invasive GBS infection that may require surgical intervention, for example surgical debridement in certain patients with soft tissue/skin infections.

What are the complications of group B strep infection?

Invasive infection with GBS in babies may result in sepsis, pneumonia, meningitis, or occasionally death. In some babies who survive, meningitis, deafness, blindness. or developmental disabilities may occur. In the United States, the mortality (death) rate for group B strep infection in babies is about 5%.

In pregnant women, infection with GBS may cause urinary tract infection, infection of the uterus and placenta, as well as preterm delivery, stillbirth, or miscarriage. Mortality rates in these patients are low because they tend to be healthy young or middle-aged individuals.

In nonpregnant adults with chronic medical conditions who develop invasive GBS infection, complications may include pneumonia, urinary tract infection, sepsis, skin and soft-tissue infection, bone and joint infection, and rarely meningitis. This group of patients tends to have higher mortality rates, ranging from 8%-47% depending on the published report.

What are the risk factors for group b strep infection?

Infants

An infant is at increased risk of developing group B strep disease if:

  • The mother carries group B strep in her body
  • The baby is born prematurely (earlier than 37 weeks)
  • The mother's water breaks 18 hours or more before delivery
  • The mother has an infection of the placental tissues and amniotic fluid (chorioamnionitis)
  • The mother has a urinary tract infection during the pregnancy
  • The mother's temperature is greater than 100.4 F (38 C) during labor
  • The mother previously delivered an infant with group B strep disease

Adults

Adults age 65 and older are at increased risk of group B strep. You're also at increased risk of if you have a condition that impairs your immune system or other serious diseases, including the following:

  • Diabetes
  • HIV infection
  • Liver disease
  • Heart disease
  • Cancer or history of cancer

Is there a cure/medications for group b strep infection?

Medication to treat other symptoms.

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