title: Group B streptococcal colonization patterns in mothers and their infants.
abstract: Maternity patients and their newborn infants were cultured for group B streptococci (GBS) at Tampa General Hospital, Tampa, Fla., from September 1982 to May 1983. Culture swabs were placed into Lim Group B Strep Broth (GIBCO Laboratories, Madison, Wis.) and quantitated for GBS. A strong correlation was found between the numbers of GBS in the maternal vagina and the infant rectum. Infants symptomatic for early-onset GBS disease were delivered by mothers heavily colonized (greater than or equal to 3 X 10(4) GBS per swab) at the vagina. Such mothers were identified as GBS carriers by slide coagglutination and latex agglutination after their broth cultures had been incubated for 5 h. These data indicate that maternity patients at high risk of delivering infants heavily colonized with GBS and potentially symptomatic for early-onset GBS disease can be rapidly and selectively identified.
mesh_terms: D000372:Agglutination Tests / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000382:microbiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000635:transmission*; D012007:Rectum / Q000382:microbiology; D012703:Serotyping; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000151:congenital* / Q000635:transmission; D013292:Streptococcus agalactiae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014472:Umbilicus / Q000382:microbiology; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology*