GROUP-B STREPTOCOCCUS (GBS) COLONIZATION AMONG EXPECTANT IRISH MOTHERS

Group B streptococci (GBS) have been recognised for more than three de cades as a serious cause of perinatal morbidity and neonatal mortality , The aim of this study was to accurately determine the prevalence of GBS carriage and the serotype distribution among pregnant Irish women, 504 women attending antenatal clinics had two swabs (one perianal and one low vaginal) taken in the last four weeks of their pregnancy, The se were placed in Todd Hewitt broth and then subcultured onto solid me dia. Serotyping of the isolates was performed by the Central Public He alth Laboratory, London. GBS colonised women were treated with prophyl actic antibiotics in labour and their infants received prophylaxis for 48 hours. 129 women (25.6%) were found to be asymptomatically colonis ed with GBS, Dual site screening (low-vaginal and perianal) identified 5% more GBS carriers than one site would have done, Serotypes identif ied included types I (30%), II (17%), III (30%), IV (1%) and V (9%), G BS colonisation is very common in Irish pregnant women and therefore a strategy for management in pregnancy ought to be developed in order t o reduce the recognised occurrence of neonatal morbidity and mortality caused by this organism.