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Updated: Jul 9, 2026

A Murine Model of Group B Streptococcus Vaginal Colonization
Published on: November 16, 2016
Vaginal-rectal colonization with group A streptococci in late pregnancy
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington 05401, USA. phil.mead@vtmednet.org
Objective:
To determine the vaginal-rectal colonization rate with group A streptococci in late pregnancy.
Methods:
All patients delivering at a northern New England hospital over a 38 month period had 35-37 week vaginal-rectal swabs cultured for group A and group B streptococci, using selective media and slide agglutination.
Results:
Six thousand nine hundred forty-four screening cultures were obtained. Among these 1,393 were positive for group B streptococci and 2 for group A streptococci, yielding colonization rates of 20.1% and 0.03%, respectively.
Conclusions:
Vaginal-rectal colonization with group A streptococci is rare, arguing against the need for establishing group A streptococcal screening programs in pregnancy. An approach for managing this uncommon finding is presented.
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