Authors: Afolabi Oluwasesan Bamidele, Adeniyi Augustine Adebayo, Adebara Funmilayo Victoria, Oyekale Oluwalana Timothy, Adewara Olumide Emmanuel, Awoyinka Babatunde Sunday, Adebara Idowu Oluseyi, Bakare Adewumi, Adeyemo Timothy Olabisi, Ayankunle Mojisola Olumide.
Background: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a gram-positive bacterium and a major cause of bacterial infections in the newborns delivered by women whose rectum and vagina were colonized by GBS during pregnancy.
Objectives: To study the association between maternal GBS recto-vaginal colonization and neonatal colonization and occurrence of early onset neonatal group B Streptococcal sepsis.
Methodology: A prospective cohort study involving 28 mother-infant pairs of GBS positive and 28 negative controls. Results: Of the 196 pregnant women screened for GBS recto-vaginal colonization between 35-37weeks, 31 women were positive giving a prevalence rate of 15.8%. Three (3) cases were later excluded for different reasons, thus only 28 infants delivered to GBS-positive mothers and 28 infants delivered to GBS-negative mothers were followed up for signs and symptoms of sepsis. Of the 28 newborns delivered to GBS colonized mother, 12(43.0%) were colonized with GBS at birth compared to 2 (7.1%) colonized newborns delivered to GBS-negative pregnant women. An association was observed between maternal GBS recto-vaginal colonization and neonatal colonization (P=0.0003, RR: 2.25 CI:(1.45 – 3.49)) with a vertical transmission rate of 43% among the GBS colonized motherinfant pairs. A significant difference was also observed between the birth weights of infants delivered to GBSpositive mothers (3100.00 ± 392.8g) and GBS- negative mothers (3338.4 ± 338.4g) (P=0.018). Low social class was associated with higher GBS colonization rate (P = 0.029). A prevalence rate of 17.9/1000 births of GBS early sepsis was found in this study.
Conclusion: Low social class increases the risk of maternal colonization by GBS, and maternal colonization in late third trimester is associated with newborn GBS colonization at birth.
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