Group B streptococcal colonization in prepubertal children.
Colonization of prepubertal boys and girls with group B streptococci was studied prosepctively for one year. Throat, anal canal, and vaginal cultures were obtained from 415 children not receiving antimicrobics. The over-all colonization rate at any site was 11.3% and did not vary with age, sex, or season. Streptococci were recovered most commonly from the anal canal. Throat colonization was comparable in boys and girls. A total of 71 sites were positive for the organism in the 47 colonized children. Serotype Ia was the most common (41% of isolates). Types II and III accounted for 24% and 20%, respectively. Colonization at more than one site occurred in 20 children and in two of these children, different serotypes were recovered from different sites.
D000293:Adolescent; D001003:Anal Canal / Q000382:microbiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010614:Pharynx / Q000382:microbiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013292:Streptococcus agalactiae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology