Group B streptococcus colonization among pregnant women in Uruguay

Abstract

SynopsisThe prevalence of group B streptococcus colonization in pregnant women was 17.3% in the largest maternity hospital in Uruguay. KeywordsColonization; Group B streptococcus; Pregnant women; Uruguay Group B streptococcus (GBS) is one of the most common causes of neonatal sepsis. In the United States, 5%-10% of neonatal deaths are caused by this organism [1]. Early-onset GBS disease is defined as an infection occurring in the first week of life and accounts for approximately 70% of all GBS diseases in the first 3 months of life [2]. Sepsis develops in approximately 1% of neonates born to colonized women. It has been estimated that between 10%-30% of pregnant women are colonized by GBS. These figures have been reported mainly from high-income countries, with few studies from Latin America [1]. The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of GBS colonization in pregnant women using the method recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [2].Pregnant women admitted to the Pereira Rossell Hospital, the largest public maternity unit in Uruguay, were asked to participate in the study. Inclusion criteria were pregnant women in labor or admitted for elective cesarean delivery; gestational age between 32 and 41 weeks; and signed consent forms. If a woman had been tested for GBS during prenatal care and the culture was positive, she received treatment after the study sample had been obtained. Exclusion criteria were pregnant women who had received antibiotics within 1 week before being admitted to hospital and women who declined to participate.During a 2-month period in 2008, a total of 300 pregnant women were selected at random from a total of 846 women eligible women admitted to the hospital. The random allocation scheme was derived from a computer-generated list of numbers using sealed envelopes that were opened at the moment of enrollment. Treating physicians were instructed to collect a specimen with one swab that collected specimens from the vagina and rectum. The swab was placed into a recommended container with adequate transport medium. As recommended by the CDC [2], the specimens were incubated in Todd-Hewitt broth supplemented with nalidixic acid and gentamicin. After 18-24 hours of incubation at 35 ± 2 °C in ambient air, specimens were subcultured onto a sheep blood agar plate, and a Granada medium plate was made and incubated at the recommended incubation conditions [3]. Observation of cultures was conducted at 24 hours and all negative culture plates were reincubated for an additional 18-24 hours and then re-examined. All GBS isolates were tested for drug susceptibility as recommended by the CDC [2], including clindamycin and erythromycin.The characteristics of the participants are shown in Table 1. The study population was similar to the population of pregnant women who had received care in the hospital during the previous year. A total of 52 pregnant women from the sample of 300 were found to be colonized with GBS (17.3%; 95% CI, 13.2-21.1). This percentage ...

Prevalence, serotypes and virulence genes of Streptococcus agalactiae isolated from pregnant women with 35–37 weeks of gestation

“…These values are similar to that reported by Oviedo et al (2013) (9.38%) using swab samples taken from the same study population, The average prevalence reported in South America is 15.90% [36]. Several studies in bordering countries reported similar colonization rates: in Brazil values from 4.20 to 28.40% [37]; in Chile, 19.80% [38]; and in Uruguay, 17.30% [39]. In Mexico, a literature review study found a 9.50% maternal colonization [40].…”

Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of Streptococcus agalactiae in pregnant women: first study in a province of Argentina

“…Several studies of countries bordering Argentina have reported similar colonization rates: Chile, 19.8% (Abarzua et al , 2002); Uruguay, 17.3% (Laufer et al , 2009) and Brazil, 14.6% (Simões et al , 2007). …”

Prevalencia del Streptococcus agalactiae en maternas usuarias del Hospital Militar Central. Bogotá, (Colombia) año 2010

“…9 Otro trabajo llevado a cabo en la Clínica Colombia de Bogotá en 2008 estableció un 16,4% de prevalencia a partir de cultivo vaginorrectal y un 1,7% de cultivo vaginal, sin embargo, no identificaron los serotipos ni el perfil de susceptibilidad antimicrobiana en las muestras estudiadas. 22 En cuanto a la resistencia antibiótica del Streptococcus agalactiae en el estudio antes mencionado, se reporta una resistencia del 16,7% de las cepas. 9 Nuestro estudio es el primero en tipificar las cepas de Streptococcus agalactiae en la población usuaria del Hospital Militar Central.…”

“…Hay controversia sobre la prevalencia de este germen en el ámbito latinoamericano, debido a la gran variabilidad en la información disponible. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] Se requieren datos locales de prevalencia para determinar la magnitud del fenómeno. Por este motivo, el grupo decidió realizar un estudio con el objetivo de estimar la prevalencia de este patógeno en las maternas que acuden diariamente al Hospital Militar Central en Bogotá (Colombia), identificar los serotipos y así establecer aquellos que circulan en nuestra población y la resistencia asociada.…”