Preventive procedures against GBS infection by means of antibody measurement.
OBJECTIVE
Screening group B Streptococcus (GBS) in the vagina of pregnant women and measuring serum level of its type-specific antibody would be useful for cost-benefit of the prevention against GBS infection.


METHODS
The subjects included a total of 1,150 pregnant women who consented to the study. Serotypes of GBS detected were classified with antiserum. Serum type-specific antibody titers were measured by a bacterial agglutination method.


RESULTS
Of a total of 1,150 pregnant women, 250 cases (21.7%) had GBS in the vagina. The turn of GBS serotype occurrence was types VI (NT6) (27. 2%), VIII (JM9) (25.2%), III (11.2%), Ia (8.8%), and Ib (8.0%). None or low type-specific antibody titer was 41.0% of Ia, 20.0% of Ib, 22. 0% of II, 15.0% of III, 65.0% of VI, and 69.0% of VIII incarriers. Noneonatal GBS infection occurred under the empirically treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
The measurement of serum type-specific antibody against GBS would be informative for the cost-benefit treatment of the vaginal GBS in pregnant women.
Mikamo
H
H
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Gifu University, Japan. mikamo@cc.gifu-u.ac.jp
Higa
M
M
Sato
Y
Y
Hayasaki
Y
Y
Hua
Y X
YX
Yasuda-Kawazoe
K
K
Tamaya
T
T
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013292:Streptococcus agalactiae / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial