title: [Is there an increase in the incidence of gbs carrier rates among pregnant women in northern Israel?].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Group B Streptococci (GBS) asymptomatically colonize the vaginal or rectal areas of about 20% of pregnant women (4-40%). About 50% of infants to mothers with GBS colonization also become colonized at rectal, umbilical or oral sites. GBS is a leading bacterial cause of neonatal illness and death. The present prevalence rate of GBS carriers among parturients in the western Galilee in Israel is unknown.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  A prospective study of the GBS carrier rate according to origin and gestational age in the western Galilee in Israel.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study including 700 pregnant women. All women were screened for carriage of GBS by vaginal and rectal cultures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixteen percent of the parturients were found to be GBS colonized. The prevalence of GBS was 13.7% in Jewish women and 19% in Arab women, P=0.038. The women were also divided into two groups according to the gestational age one group included 414 women in 24-37 weeks gestation, and the other group included 286 women in term pregnancy. No difference was found in the rate of GBS carriers between the two gestational age groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the present study we found a significant increase in the incidence of GBS colonization in pregnant women in northern Israel. We also found an increased rate of GBS carriers in Arab women relative to Jewish women.
authors.affiliation: Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Western Galilee Hospital Nahariya, Israel.
authors.forename: Leonid
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: German
authors.forename: Ido
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Solt
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bornstein
authors.forename: Shani
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ben-Harush
authors.forename: Mordechai
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ben-Elishai
authors.forename: Zalman
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Weintraub
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012007:Rectum / Q000382:microbiology; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013292:Streptococcus agalactiae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology