Pregnancy bacteria test

Group B Strep and Pregnancy (for Parents)

What Is Group B Strep?

Group B Streptococcus (group B strep, GBS) is a type of

bacteriaoften found in the urinary tract, digestive system, and reproductive tracts. The bacteria come and go from our bodies, so most people who have it don't know that they do. GBS usually doesn't cause health problems.

What Problems Can Group B Strep Cause?

Health problems from GBS are not common. But it can cause illness in some people, such as the elderly and those with some medical conditions. GBS can cause infections in such areas of the body as the blood, lungs, skin, or bones.

About 1 out of every 4 women have GBS. In pregnant women, GBS can cause infection of the urinary tract, placenta, womb, and amniotic fluid.

Even if they haven't had any symptoms of infection, pregnant women can pass the infection to their babies during labor and delivery.

How Does Group B Strep Affect Babies?

When women with GBS are treated with antibiotics during labor, most of their babies do not have any problems. But some babies can become very sick from GBS. Premature babies are more likely to be infected with GBS than full-term babies because their bodies and immune systems are less developed.

The two types of GBS disease in babies are:

1. Early-onset infections, which happen during the first week of life. Babies often have symptoms within 24 hours of birth.
2. Late-onset infections, which develop weeks to months after birth. This type of GBS disease is not well understood.

What Are the Signs & Symptoms of GBS Disease?

Newborns and infants with GBS disease might show these signs:

• a fever
• feeding problems
• breathing problems
• irritability or fussiness
• inactivity or limpness
• trouble keeping a healthy body temperature

Babies with GBS disease can develop serious problems, such as:

• pneumonia
• sepsis
• meningitis (infection of the fluid and lining around the brain). Meningitis is more common with late-onset GBS disease and, in some cases, can lead to hearing loss, vision loss, learning disabilities, seizures, and even death.

How Is Group B Strep Diagnosed?

Pregnant women are routinely tested for GBS late in the pregnancy, usually between weeks 35 and 37. The test is simple, inexpensive, and painless. Called a culture, it involves using a large cotton swab to collect samples from the vagina and rectum. These samples are tested in a lab to check for GBS. The results are usually available in 1 to 3 days.

If a test finds GBS, the woman is said to be "GBS-positive." This means only that she has the bacteria in her body — not that she or her baby will become sick from it.

GBS infection in babies is diagnosed by testing a sample of blood or spinal fluid. But not all babies born to GBS-positive mothers need testing. Most healthy babies are simply watched to see if they have signs of infection.

How Is Group B Strep Treated?

Doctors will test a pregnant woman to see if she has GBS. If she does, she will get intravenous (IV) antibiotics during labor to kill the bacteria. Doctors usually use penicillin, but can give other medicines if a woman is allergic to it.

It's best for a woman to get antibiotics for at least 4 hours before delivery. This simple step greatly helps to prevent the spread of GBS to the baby.

Doctors also might give antibiotics during labor to a pregnant woman if she:

• goes into labor prematurely, before being tested for GBS
• hasn't been tested for GBS and her water breaks 18 or more hours before delivery
• hasn't been tested for GBS and has a fever during labor
• had a GBS bladder infection during the pregnancy
• had a baby before with GBS disease

Giving antibiotics during labor helps to prevent early-onset GBS disease only. The cause of late-onset disease isn't known, so no method has yet been found to prevent it. Researchers are working to develop a vaccine to prevent GBS infection.

Babies who get GBS disease are treated with antibiotics. These are started as soon as possible to help prevent problems. These babies also may need other treatments, like breathing help and IV fluids.

How Can I Help Prevent Group B Strep Infection?

Because GBS comes and goes from the body, a woman should be tested for it during each pregnancy. Women who are GBS-positive and get antibiotics at the right time during labor do well, and most don't pass the infection to their babies.

If you are GBS-positive and begin to go into labor, go to the hospital rather than laboring at home. By getting IV antibiotics for at least 4 hours before delivery, you can help protect your baby against early-onset GBS disease.

Reviewed by: Thinh Phu Nguyen, MD

Date reviewed: July 2022

Strep B Test: MedlinePlus Medical Test

What is a group B strep test?

Strep B, also known as group B strep (GBS), is a type of bacteria commonly found in the digestive tract, urinary tract, and genital area. It rarely causes symptoms or problems in adults but can be deadly to newborns.

In women, GBS is mostly found in the vagina and rectum. So a pregnant woman who is infected can pass the bacteria to her baby during labor and delivery. GBS can cause pneumonia, meningitis, and other serious illnesses in a baby. GBS infections are the leading cause of death and disability in newborns.

A group B strep test checks for GBS bacteria. If the test shows that a pregnant woman has GBS, she can take antibiotics during labor to protect her baby from infection.

Other names: group B streptococcus, group B beta-hemolytic streptococcus, streptococcus agalactiae, beta-hemolytic strep culture

What is it used for?

A group B strep test is most often used to look for GBS bacteria in pregnant women. Most pregnant women are tested as part of routine prenatal screening. It may also be used to test infants who show signs of infection.

Why do I need a group B strep test?

You may need a strep B test if you are pregnant. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends GBS testing for all pregnant women. Testing is usually done in the 36th or 37th week of pregnancy. If you go into labor earlier than 36 weeks, you may be tested at that time.

A baby may need a group B strep test if he or she has symptoms of infection. These include:

• High fever
• Trouble with feeding
• Trouble breathing
• Lack of energy (hard to wake up)

What happens during a group B strep test?

If you are pregnant, your health care provider may order a swab test or a urine test.

For a swab test, you will lie on your back on an exam table. Your health care provider will use a small cotton swab to take a sample of cells and fluids from your vagina and rectum.

For a urine test, you will most likely be told to use the "clean catch method" to ensure your sample is sterile. It includes the following steps.

• Wash your hands.
• Clean your genital area with a cleansing pad given to you by your provider. To clean, open your labia and wipe from front to back.
• Start to urinate into the toilet.
• Move the collection container under your urine stream.
• Collect at least an ounce or two of urine into the container, which should have markings to indicate the amounts.
• Finish urinating into the toilet.
• Return the sample container as instructed by your health care provider.

If your baby needs testing, a provider may do a blood test or a spinal tap.

For a blood test, a health care professional will use a small needle to take a blood sample from your baby's heel. After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube or vial. Your baby may feel a little sting when the needle goes in or out.

A spinal tap, also known as a lumbar puncture, is a test that collects and looks at spinal fluid, the clear liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. During the procedure:

• A nurse or other health care provider will hold your baby in a curled-up position.
• A health care provider will clean your baby's back and inject an anesthetic into the skin, so your baby won't feel pain during the procedure. The provider may put a numbing cream on your baby's back before this injection.
• The provider may also give your baby a sedative and/or pain reliever to help him or her better tolerate the procedure.
• Once the area on the back is completely numb, your provider will insert a thin, hollow needle between two vertebrae in the lower spine. Vertebrae are the small backbones that make up the spine.
• The provider will withdraw a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid for testing. This will take about five minutes.

Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test?

You don't any special preparations for group B strep tests.

Are there any risks to the test?

There is no risk to you from a swab or urine test. Your baby may have slight pain or bruising after a blood test, but that should go away quickly. Your baby will likely feel some pain after a spinal tap, but that shouldn't last too long. There is also a small risk of infection or bleeding after a spinal tap.

What do the results mean?

If you are pregnant and results show you have GBS bacteria, you will be given antibiotics intravenously (directly to your veins) during labor, at least four hours before delivery. This will prevent you from passing the bacteria to your baby. Taking antibiotics earlier in your pregnancy is not effective, because the bacteria can grow back very quickly. It's also more effective to take antibiotics through your vein, rather than by mouth.

You may not need antibiotics if you are having a planned delivery by Cesarean section (C-section). During a C-section, a baby is delivered through the mother's abdomen rather than vaginally. But you still should be tested during pregnancy because you may go into labor before your scheduled C-section.

If your baby's results show a GBS infection, he or she will be treated with antibiotics. If your provider suspects a GBS infection, he or she may treat your baby before test results are available. This is because GBS can cause serious illness or death.

If you have questions about your results or your baby's results, talk to your health care provider.

Learn more about laboratory tests, reference ranges, and understanding results.

Is there anything else I need to know about a group B strep test?

Strep B is one type of strep bacteria. Other forms of strep cause different types of infections. These include strep A, which causes strep throat, and streptococcus pneumoniae, which causes the most common type of pneumonia. Streptococcus pneumonia bacteria can also cause infections of the ear, sinuses, and bloodstream.

References

1. ACOG: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists [Internet]. Washington D.C.: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; c2019. Group B Strep and Pregnancy; 2019 Jul [cited 2019 Nov 15]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://www.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Group-B-Strep-and-Pregnancy
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [Internet]. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Group B Strep (GBS): Prevention; [cited 2019 Nov 15]; [about 4 screens]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/groupbstrep/about/prevention.html
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [Internet]. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Group B Strep (GBS): Signs and Symptoms; [cited 2019 Nov 15]; [about 4 screens]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/groupbstrep/about/symptoms.html
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [Internet]. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Streptococcus Laboratory: Streptococcus pneumoniae; [cited 2019 Nov 15]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/streplab/pneumococcus/index.html
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [Internet]. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Travelers' Health: Pneumococcal Disease; [updated 2014 Aug 5; cited 2019 Nov 15]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/diseases/pneumococcal-disease-streptococcus-pneumoniae
6. Intermountain Healthcare: Primary Children's Hospital [Internet]. Salt Lake City: Intermountain Healthcare; c2019. Lumbar Puncture in a Newborn; [cited 2019 Nov 15]; [about 4 screens]. Available from: https://intermountainhealthcare.org/ext/Dcmnt?ncid=520190573
7. Lab Tests Online [Internet]. Washington D.C.: American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001–2019. Blood Culture; [updated 2019 Sep 23; cited 2019 Nov 15]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://labtestsonline.org/tests/blood-culture
8. Lab Tests Online [Internet]. Washington D.C.: American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001–2019. Prenatal Group B Strep (GBS) Screening; [updated 2019 May 6; cited 2019 Nov 15]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://labtestsonline. org/tests/prenatal-group-b-strep-gbs-screening
9. Lab Tests Online [Internet]. Washington D.C.: American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001–2019. Urine Culture; [updated 2019 Sep 18; cited 2019 Nov 15]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://labtestsonline.org/tests/urine-culture
10. Michigan Medicine: University of Michigan [Internet]. Ann Arbor (MI): Regents of the University of Michigan; c1995–2021. Group B Streptococcal Infections in Newborns[cited 2021 Aug 6]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/zp3014spec
11. University of Rochester Medical Center [Internet]. Rochester (NY): University of Rochester Medical Center; c2019. Health Encyclopedia: Group B Streptococcus Infection in Babies; [cited 2019 Nov 15]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=90&contentid=P02363
12. University of Rochester Medical Center [Internet]. Rochester (NY): University of Rochester Medical Center; c2019. Health Encyclopedia: Pneumonia; [cited 2019 Nov 15]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=85&contentid=P01321
13. WHO Guidelines on Drawing Blood: Best Practices in Phlebotomy [Internet]. Geneva (SUI): World Health Organization; c2010. 6. Paediatric and neonatal blood sampling; [cited 2019 Nov 15]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK138647

Asymptomatic bacteriuria - articles from the specialists of the clinic "Mother and Child"

Agranovskaya Anna Valerievna

Obstetrician-gynecologist

Lapino-1 Clinical Hospital "Mother and Child"

During pregnancy, this problem requires special attention!

It should be noted that the kidneys of a pregnant woman experience increased stress. The smooth muscle of the urinary system is affected by the hormone progesterone, which has a relaxing effect on it.

From the second trimester the gradually enlarging uterus begins to compress the abdominal organs, including the ureters, kidneys, and bladder. As a result, the pyelocaliceal system of the kidneys expands, which contributes to some stagnation of urine. Such urine is a favorable environment for the reproduction of bacteria.

During pregnancy, the presence of bacteria is found in urine tests, but the woman does not present any complaints, nothing bothers her. This is regarded as asymptomatic bacteriuria. A similar phenomenon occurs on average in 6% of cases.

Asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnant women significantly increases the risk of urinary tract infections - inflammation of the bladder / cystitis / and inflammation of the kidneys / pyelonephritis /. And urinary tract infections can cause a number of serious complications of pregnancy and childbirth - a decrease in hemoglobin, an increase in blood pressure, premature birth, the birth of children with a low body weight of less than 2500 g.

When bacteria are isolated in a general urinalysis, an additional examination is recommended - seeding for flora and sensitivity to antibiotics to identify bacteria and determine their sensitivity to antibacterial drugs.

Based on the results of sowing, the doctor prescribes an effective and safe treatment for a pregnant woman. The duration of the course of treatment depends on the severity of changes in the culture. After treatment, urine culture control is prescribed, not earlier than 5 days after the end of treatment.

Prevention! In order to prevent exacerbations, it is necessary to follow the recommendations to ensure an improvement in the outflow of urine and to prevent stagnation and reproduction of bacteria in the organs of the urinary system:

• diet with restriction of spicy, salty, smoked
• sweets should be limited - glucose is a favorable environment for the development of microorganisms
• drinking regime not less than 1. 5–2.0 liters per day. A sufficient volume of liquid contributes to the free removal of waste substances and toxins from the body. Among drinks, preference should be given to mineral non-carbonated water, compotes, cranberry and lingonberry fruit drinks
• knee-elbow position for 5-10 minutes 3-5 times a day. In the knee-elbow position, the load is redistributed. The uterus, under the force of gravity, shifts forward and down, freeing the ureters, kidneys, and bladder from compression. In this case, the normal functional state of the organs of the urinary system is restored

It should be noted that at the stage of preparation for pregnancy, it is also necessary to identify and treat asymptomatic bacteriuria in order to reduce risk factors for urinary tract infections and complications during pregnancy.