title: Epidemiology of group-B streptococcal carriage in pregnant women and newborn infants.
abstract: In a population of pregnant women, the prevalence of group-B streptococcal carriage was relatively low. During the 3rd trimester of pregnancy 5-6% of women haboured group-B streptococci and 8-3% were positive at the onset of labour. Some 42% of women who gave positive cultures in labour had given negative cultures during the 3rd trimester and 19% of women who were positive during late pregnancy were culture-negative in labour. The conversion of culture status observed in these women suggests that carriage may be intermittent or that new acquisition of genital-tract streptococci may occur in late pregnancy. The unpredictability of conversion diminishes the reliability of a single culture taken during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy.
mesh_terms: D002353:Carrier State / Q000382:microbiology*; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000382:microbiology; D004423:Ear / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D009666:Nose / Q000382:microbiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000382:microbiology*; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D012703:Serotyping; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013292:Streptococcus agalactiae / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014472:Umbilicus / Q000382:microbiology; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology