[High prevalence of group B Streptococcus colonization in Mexican pregnant women].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of group B Streptococcus (GBS) colonization in two anatomical sites in Mexican women of childbearing age, as well as the associated risk factors.


METHODS
A retrospective cohort analysis was made with two groups of women between 14 and 44 years old. We formed two groups of 72 women; one had a recent positive group B Streptococcus culture and the other, paired by age and culture date, had a negative culture of the same bacterium. All of them answered a validated questionnaire and two rectal swabs were obtained and cultured for isolation of group B Streptococcus.


RESULTS
Prevalence of GBS colonization was 18% for two anatomical sites (heavy colonization), and 37% for one anatomical site; the overall prevalence was 54.9%. Three or more sexual partners increased by 4-fold the risk of heavy GBS colonization (p < 0.01). In this study 49 (34%) women were pregnant, 26 (53%) of them were colonized by GBS and 7 (14.3%) were heavy colonized.


CONCLUSIONS
Prevalence of GBS during pregnancy in Mexican women was higher than the reported previously, even in developed countries. Risk of colonization increased by 4-fold with a history of three or more sexual partners.
Hernández Trejo
María
M
Instituto Nacional de Perinatología, Colonia Lomas Virreyes, México. htmaria@infosel.net.mx
Soriano Becerril
Diana
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002582:Cervix Mucus / Q000382:microbiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico; D011247:Pregnancy; D012007:Rectum / Q000382:microbiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013292:Streptococcus agalactiae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014556:Urine / Q000382:microbiology*