Prevention of Early-onset Neonatal Group B Streptococcal Disease

M J Soto Marió; I Valenzuela; A E Vásquez; S E Illanes

Prevention of Early-onset Neonatal Group B Streptococcal Disease

Rev Obstet Gynecol. 2013;6(2):63-8.

Authors

M J Soto Marió¹, I Valenzuela¹, A E Vásquez², S E Illanes¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile.
² Biotechnology Section, Department of Environmental Health, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Santiago, Chile.

PMID: 24358406
PMCID: PMC3861949

Abstract

Streptococcus agalactiae, also known as Group B Streptococcus (GBS), is an opportunistic pathogen that colonizes the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts of up to 50% of healthy adults and newborns; it is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. Early detection can be used to establish the use of antibiotic prophylaxis to significantly reduce neonatal sepsis. This article reviews methods of detection and prevention of GBS infection in the neonate.

Keywords: Neonatal sepsis; Prevention; Streptococcus.