Neonatal infection Archives - Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia

PURPOSE: to study the prevalence of colonization by group B Streptococcus in pregnant women in the last three months of gestation, and to evaluate the association of colonization with demographic and clinical maternal variables. METHODS: from October 8, 2002 to March 26, 2003, a transversal study of prevalence of colonization by group B Streptococcus was carried out in 309 pregnant women in the last three months of gestation. Samples of vaginal and anorectal secretions were collected and were tested for presumptive identification of group B Streptococcus. The pregnant women were studied according to race, age, level of instruction, family income, number of gestations, gestational age, history of urinary tract infection during present pregnancy, premature rupture of membranes and duration of ruptured membranes, intrapartum fever, chorioamnionitis, meconium in the amniotic fluid, spontaneous or cesarean section delivery, postpartum fever, and postpartum endometritis. RESULTS: fourty-six pregnant women were diagnosed with group B Streptococcus: 26 of them (56.5%) had positive vaginal culture, 8 (17.4%) positive anorectal culture and 12 (26.5%) had both vaginal and anorectal positive cultures. None of the maternal variables were statistically significant with respect to group B Streptococcus colonization. The results were submitted to chi2 bivariate analysis and, when appropriate, Fisher's exact test. CONCLUSION: the prevalence rate of vaginal and anorectal colonization by group B Streptococcus in pregnant women in the last three months of gestation, in Londrina - Paraná, was 14.9%.