Bacterial infection that a baby can contract as he passes through an infected birth canal, sometimes resulting in severe illness. Many cases can be prevented by screening and/or treating infected women with antibiotics during labor and delivery.
(GBS) common bacteria in lower intestine of healthy adults (10 - 35%) also found in the vagina (13%) Women infected with no symptoms "colonized". This bacteria can also cause overwhelming infection and death.
A bacteria commonly residing in the vagina or rectum and is not a sexually-transmitted infection. Newborns may be infected if they are exposed during the birth process.
to test for GBS, samples are taken from the vagina, perineum and rectum and grown in a special substance. A urine sample also may be used.
a type of bacteria that can live in a woman’s vagina and anus without causing an infection. With the exception of a GBS urinary tract infection, most women with GBS present are “carriers†and do not have any signs of an infection. A pregnant woman can pass GBS to her baby during pregnancy or delivery. In a newborn, GBS can cause mild to very serious infection. Because of this, most pregnant women are screened for GBS at 35-37 weeks gestation. Women who are positive for GBS are given antibiotics in labor to prevent infection in the baby after birth.
A bacterium that can be found in the vagina that can be picked up by the baby as he or she passes through during childbirth, causing a very serious infection in the newborn . Testing for GBS is usually scheduled between weeks 35 and 37. The practitioner will use vaginal and rectal swabs, and if the result is positive, the treatment is to administer either IV antibiotics during labor or oral antibiotics during the last weeks of pregnancy.
Group B Streptococcus (GBS), also known as Streptococcus agalactiae, is a type of bacteria that can cause serious illness and sometimes death, especially in newborn infants and the elderly. It is also an important pathogen in veterinary medicine, as it causes bovine mastitis (inflammation of the udder) in dairy cows. The name alludes to this ("agalactiae"=no milk).
