Impact of COVID-19 on Group B Streptococcus Colonization Prevalence And Pregnancy Outcomes: A Single-Center...

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on the prevalence of group B Streptococcus (GBS) colonization and to examine whether the pandemic has influenced pregnancy complications among women colonized by GBS.

A retrospective chart review was conducted on 2,448 pregnant women who received care at the Outaouais Birthing Center between 2016 and 2023. Pre- and post-pandemic onset data were compared for GBS positive and negative women. Primary outcomes included termination due to miscarriage, transfers (pre- and post-32 weeks, perinatal, postnatal and newborn), reasons for transfers and newborns' Apgar scores. The secondary outcomes included gestational age at delivery, delivery type and location, newborn birth weight, vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) and feeding type. Demographic data were collected to ensure group comparability.

GBS prevalence was similar before (29.43 %) and after (26.59 %) COVID-19 onset (p = 0.06), with a significant spike in 2020 (32.95 %, p = 0.009). An inverse relationship was observed between COVID-19 and newborn transfers in the GBS positive group (p < 0.001). Apgar scores below 7 increased during the pandemic (p = 0.006), and reasons for perinatal transfers differed significantly (p = 0.004). In the GBS negative group, postnatal transfers were negatively correlated with COVID-19 (p < 0.001), and transfer reasons post-32 weeks (p = 0.02), perinatal (p < 0.001), and newborn (p = 0.02) transfers differed significantly.

COVID-19 did not increase the prevalence of GBS in pregnant women. The rise in postpartum transfers and variations in transfer reasons suggest that the pandemic may have influenced healthcare practices rather than directly increasing GBS-related complications.