Risk for serious GBS disease increases as people get older. Adults 65 years or older are at increased risk compared to adults younger than 65 years old. The gastrointestinal tract is the part of the body that digests food and includes the stomach and intestines. The genital tract is the part of the body involved in reproduction and includes the vagina in women. The bacteria do not spread through food, water, or anything that people might have come into contact with.
How people get these bacteria or spread them to others is generally unknown. However, experts know that pregnant women can pass the bacteria to their babies during delivery. This is infection of the amniotic fluid, sac, and placenta. It can also cause a postpartum infection endometritis. Urinary tract infections caused by GBS can lead to preterm labor and birth. Pregnant women with GBS are more likely to need a cesarean delivery.
They are also more likely to have heavy bleeding after delivery. Group B strep is the most common cause of serious infections in newborns. GBS infection can lead to meningitis, pneumonia, or sepsis. Meningitis is more common in a baby who has a GBS infection happen a week to several months after birth. All pregnant women should be tested for group B strep as a part of routine prenatal care. In late pregnancy, your healthcare provider can test for GBS by taking a swab of your vagina and rectum during a pelvic exam.
They can also test your urine for GBS. The swab or urine is sent to a lab to grow the bacteria. Tests are usually done between 35 and 37 weeks of pregnancy. The results may take a few days. A woman who has GBS may test positive at certain times and not at others. This lowers the risk that your baby will get the infection. Penicillin is the most common antibiotic given. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any medicine allergies. If your baby has GBS infection, early diagnosis and treatment is important as delay could be very serious or even fatal.
If it is thought that your newborn baby has an infection, tests will be done to see whether GBS is the cause. This will be discussed fully with you before the tests are done.
Babies with signs of GBS infection or babies who are suspected to have the infection should be treated with antibiotics as soon as possible. Antibiotics can be life-saving when given to babies with suspected infection. Treatment will be stopped if there is no sign of infection after at least 36 hours, and all the tests are negative.
It is safe to breastfeed your new baby. Breastfeeding has not been shown to increase the risk of GBS infection, and it offers many benefits to both you and your baby. This is because:. A full list of useful organisations including the above is available on the RCOG website at: www. If you are asked to make a choice, you may have lots of questions that you want to ask. You may also want to talk over your options with your family or friends. It can help to write a list of the questions you want answered and take it to your appointment.
To begin with, try to make sure you get the answers to 3 key questions , if you are asked to make a choice about your healthcare:. Three questions that patients can ask to improve the quality of information physicians give about treatment options: A cross-over trial. Patient Education and Counselling, ; The Guideline contains a full list of the sources of evidence used. You can find it online at: www. If you have recently read one of our leaflets, please give us feedback by completing this short questionnaire.
Toggle navigation. Print version PDF. The infant may also become infected after delivery by coming into contact with people who carry the GBS germ. In this case, symptoms appear later, when the baby is 7 days to 3 months or more old. This is called late-onset GBS disease. The following increase an infant's risk for GBS septicemia: Being born more than 3 weeks before the due date prematurity , especially if the mother goes into labor early preterm labor and has not been screened for GBS Mother who has already given birth to a baby with GBS sepsis Mother who has a fever of The baby may have any of the following signs and symptoms: Anxious or stressed appearance Blue appearance cyanosis Breathing difficulties, such as flaring of the nostrils, grunting noises, rapid breathing, and short periods without breathing Irregular or abnormal fast or very slow heart rate Lethargy Pale appearance pallor with cold skin Poor feeding Unstable body temperature low or high.
Exams and Tests. Other tests that may be done include: Blood clotting tests -- for example, prothrombin time PT and partial thromboplastin time PTT Blood gases to see if the baby needs help with breathing Complete blood count CSF culture to check for meningitis Urine culture X-ray of the chest. The baby is given antibiotics through a vein IV. Other treatment measures may involve: Breathing help respiratory support Fluids given through a vein Medicines to reverse shock Medicines or procedures to correct blood clotting problems Oxygen therapy A therapy called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation ECMO may be used in very severe cases.
Outlook Prognosis. This disease can be life threatening without prompt treatment. Possible Complications. Possible complications include: Disseminated intravascular coagulation DIC : A serious disorder in which the proteins that control blood clotting are abnormally active.
Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar.
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