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A Murine Model of Group B Streptococcus Vaginal Colonization
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Published on: November 16, 2016

Fatal late onset group B streptococcal meningitis following maternal postpartum sepsis

Chantelle Barnard1, Mort Goldbach, Hilary Whyte

  • 1Divisions of General Paediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario.

Paediatrics & Child Health
|December 19, 2009
PubMed

Although maternal screening and the administration of prophylactic intrapartum antibiotics have decreased the incidence of early onset group B streptococcal (GBS) disease in neonates, there is still significant morbidity and mortality as a result of neonatal GBS disease.Maternal GBS infections are not uncommon, but with appropriate therapy there is almost a uniformly good outcome. Little is written about the appropriate management of well infants born to mothers with postpartum GBS sepsis.The question of whether well infants born to mothers with GBS puerperal sepsis should be treated empirically with antibiotics and the lack of literature concerning this issue became apparent when an untreated term infant died of late onset GBS meningitis following maternal puerperal GBS sepsis. We describe this event in the following case presentation.With the current paucity of literature regarding the management of well infants born to mothers with postpartum GBS sepsis, it seems prudent to treat such infants empirically with antibiotics (following a full septic work-up) until this matter has been investigated further.

Keywords:
Group B streptococcusPostpartum sepsis

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