title: Vaginal-rectal colonization with group A streptococci in late pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the vaginal-rectal colonization rate with group A streptococci in late pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients delivering at a northern New England hospital over a 38 month period had 35-37 week vaginal-rectal swabs cultured for group A and group B streptococci, using selective media and slide agglutination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six thousand nine hundred forty-four screening cultures were obtained. Among these 1,393 were positive for group B streptococci and 2 for group A streptococci, yielding colonization rates of 20.1% and 0.03%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vaginal-rectal colonization with group A streptococci is rare, arguing against the need for establishing group A streptococcal screening programs in pregnancy. An approach for managing this uncommon finding is presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington 05401, USA. phil.mead@vtmednet.org
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Mead
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Winn
mesh_terms: D000371:Agglutination; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D012007:Rectum / Q000382:microbiology*; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology*