What is the significance of a group B streptococcal test (GBS) in pregnant women?

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a bacteria that can be found in a pregnant woman's vagina and rectum. This bacteria is also present in the vagina and rectum in 25% of healthy women. Although the bacteria is harmless to carriers, if left untreated, it can be passed to the baby during childbirth. GBS causes infection of the urinary tract, amniotic fluid in pregnant women and fetal transmission leading to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature rupture of amniotic fluid, and premature birth in pregnant women.

In newborns, if the infection starts early in 1 week after birth, it will cause respiratory failure, apnea, drowsiness, and hypotension. The most common clinical syndromes are sepsis, pneumonia, meningitis and fetal death if detected early.

If infection occurs late in 1 week - 3 months after birth, it will cause meningitis and complications of disability and deafness in the fetus.

1. Subject needs to undergo Streptococcus B test
A group B streptococcal test is done for all pregnant women. If you're a GBS carrier, you won't have any symptoms (it's not linked to strep A, the type that causes a throat infection) - meaning you won't know you're a carrier.

That has the potential to cause problems at birth, because a baby with GBS during birth is at risk of serious infection (although only one in 200 babies born to a mother is GBS positive) .

But as long as you are given IV antibiotics during labor, any risk to your baby is completely eliminated. If your doctor doesn't offer a GBS test during late pregnancy, ask for it.

2. When should pregnant women be tested for GBS?
This test is usually done between 35 weeks and 37 weeks of pregnancy (the test before 35 weeks does not exactly predict who will carry GBS at the time of labor).

Some hospitals and birthing centers offer a rapid GBS test that can screen women during labor and deliver results within an hour, replacing a few weeks earlier. Ask your doctor if there is an option at the facility where you will be offered.

If you have had a baby with GBS in the past, your doctor may skip the test and initiate treatment immediately during labor.

And even if you weren't tested but delivered with some risk factors associated with group B strep (premature birth, premature rupture of membranes more than 18 hours before birth, or fever during labor), your doctor You will show you Antibiotic IV to make sure you are not infecting your baby.

3. How is the strep B test done?
During the adjuvant exam, your doctor will test for group B streptococci during pregnancy by taking a vaginal swab and a separate swab of your rectum. Swabs will be sent to the laboratory for analysis.

GBS may also appear in urine cultures obtained during prenatal screening. If it does, it will be treated immediately with oral antibiotics and again in labor with IV antibiotics.

4. What is the positive test result for Group B streptococcus?
If the vaginal discharge test shows positive for GBS, it simply means you are a carrier.

Not all babies born to a mother who test positive for GBS will be infected. About 1 in 200 infants born to a mother who is infected with group B streptococcus and who have not been treated with antibiotics will develop signs and symptoms of a group B streptococcus infection. you have a higher risk of having a baby with group B streptococcus.

These symptoms include:

Early morning shedding 37 weeks
It breaks early before 18 hours or so before birth
Fever during labor
Urinary tract infections caused by Group B Streptococcus during pregnancy
Previous birth history the baby was infected with Group B Streptococcus
In this case, your doctor will use antibiotics to protect your baby from group B strep infection at birth.

In the past, GBS was used to diagnose GBS, but this test is time-consuming and often gives false negative results.

Currently, the CRAGB laboratory has developed the GBS PCR assay which helps to detect GBS faster with high accuracy.

Here is some information about this Test:
1. Reference range: Negative or positive (Negative / Positive)

Sample sample: Vaginal smear, sealed sterile tampon sample / Urine in a sterile vial. Storage: 1 day at room temperature, 3 days at 2-8oC

3. Time to pay Results: Before 8am: pay 15:30; After 8am: pay 15:30 the next day.

4. Method: Real-time PCR.

Customers can go directly to the Hotline: 0373 658 585 or email: [email protected] for advice.

Articles refer to source: Vietnam Pasteur Institute