What is a Group B strep culture?
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) are bacteria found in the lower genital tract of about 25 percent of all women. GBS infection usually causes no problems in women before pregnancy, but can cause serious illness in the mother during pregnancy and the newborn after delivery. GBS may cause chorioamnionitis (a severe infection of the placental tissues) and postpartum infection. Urinary tract infections caused by GBS can lead to preterm labor and birth. GBS is the most common cause of life-threatening infections in newborns, including pneumonia and meningitis. Newborn babies contract the infection during pregnancy or from the mother’s genital tract during labor and delivery. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends screening of all pregnant women for vaginal and rectal group B strep colonization between 35 to 37 weeks’ gestation. Treatment of mothers with certain risk factors or positive cultures is important reduce the risk of transmission of GBS to the baby. Babies whose mothers receive antibiotic treatment for a positive GBS test are 20 times less likely to develop the disease than those without treatment.