MONDAY, Aug. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Women with group B streptococci genitourinary colonization during an index pregnancy have a significantly increased risk of colonization during a subsequent pregnancy, according to research published in the August issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Mark A. Turrentine, M.D., of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and a colleague conducted a retrospective cohort study of women who had two consecutive deliveries and culture results available for group B streptococci at 35 to 37 weeks of gestation.
After comparing 102 women who tested positive for group B streptococci colonization during an index pregnancy with non-infected controls, the researchers found that colonization rates were significantly higher during a subsequent pregnancy (53 percent versus 15 percent), resulting in an adjusted odds ratio of 11.7.
"Previous cost analysis has shown the optimal strategy for prevention of early-onset neonatal group B streptococci sepsis to be universal intrapartum maternal antibiotic therapy," the authors conclude. "In-term pregnancies when group B streptococci status is unknown, knowledge of prior colonization in a previous pregnancy should be considered in the algorithm for intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis."
Abstract
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