title: Institutional prevention policies and rates of Group B Streptococcus infection among HIV-infected pregnant women and their infants in Latin America.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe Group B Streptococcus (GBS) prevention policies at 12 Latin American sites participating in the NICHD (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) International Site Development Initiative (NISDI) Longitudinal Study in Latin American Countries (LILAC) and to determine rates of rectovaginal colonization and GBS-related disease among HIV-infected pregnant women and their infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Site surveys were used to assess prevention policies and practices administered cross-sectionally during 2010. Data collected in NISDI from 2008 to 2010 regarding HIV-infected pregnant women were used to determine rates of colonization and GBS-related disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 9 sites with a GBS prevention policy, 7 performed routine rectovaginal screening for GBS. Of the 401 women included in the NISDI study, 56.9% were at sites that screened. The GBS colonization rate was 8.3% (19/228 women; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.1%-12.7%). Disease related to GBS occurred in 0.5% of the participants (2/401 women; 95% CI, 0.1%-1.8%); however, no GBS-related disease was reported among the 398 infants (95% CI, 0.0%-0.9%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Improved efforts to implement prevention policies and continued surveillance for GBS are needed to understand the impact of GBS among HIV-infected pregnant women and their infants in Latin America.
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Hospital Federal dos Servidores do Estado Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. esaujoao@gmail.com
authors.forename: Esaú
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Joao
authors.forename: Maria I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Gouvea
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Freimanis-Hance
authors.forename: Rachel A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Jennifer S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Read
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.forename: Geraldo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.forename: Silvina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ivalo
authors.forename: Daisy M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pilotto
authors.forename: George K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Siberry
mesh_terms: D060085:Coinfection / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007843:Latin America; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008403:Mass Screening; D016134:Organizational Policy; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000151:congenital / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013292:Streptococcus agalactiae