Group Beta Strep: What is it?
If you’re in your third trimester, your healthcare provider will start discussing a screening test for Group B Streptococcus (GBS). This is a routine screening we do for all pregnant women, and while it may sound concerning, it’s typically not a cause for alarm. Here’s an overview of GBS.
What is Group Beta Strep?
Group Beta Streptococcus is a bacteria usually found within the gut and lower genital tract. It is present even in healthy adults and does not cause illness unless someone has another condition such as diabetes that lowers their immunity.
Pregnant women are screened for GBS as there is a risk of transmitting the bacteria to the baby during delivery. If you test positive, you will be given preventative treatment.
What causes you to get GBS?
GBS is part of the body’s normal organisms. It can be present in your body even if you’re completely healthy. Unlike other genital infections, GBS is not a sexually transmitted infection (STI) nor can it be transmitted in any other way.
Some factors that may increase the risk of GBS, include:
- Having GBS during previous pregnancies
- A GBS infection earlier in the current pregnancy
What does GBS cause?
GBS usually does not make healthy adults ill. However, it can affect those with a lower immunity in the form of mild or severe disease.
In adults, GBS can cause:
- UTI
- Bacteremia
- Pneumonia
- Skin Infection
- Joint Infection
While these manifestations are rare, they require urgent treatment to prevent complications.
In babies, GBS can cause early-onset and late-onset disease.
- Early-onset disease: This appears within 24-48 hours after birth. It can cause severe problems such as meningitis, pneumonia, and blood infection (sepsis).
- Late-onset disease: This form of disease occurs after one week to a few months after birth. It can also present as serious infections like meningitis, as well as symptoms like lowered energy, increased irritability, inability to feed, and fever.
What does it mean if I test positive for group B strep?
If you test positive, it means GBS is present in your genital tract, and has a chance of being transmitted to your baby. If you are positive for GBS, we will administer antibiotics through an IV during labor to prevent transmission to your baby. This greatly reduces the chance that you or your newborn develop a serious infection related to GBS after birth.