Group B streptococcal colonization patterns in mothers and their infants

Maternity patients and their newborn infants were cultured for group B streptococci (GBS) at Tampa General Hospital, Tampa, Fla., from September 1982 to May 1983. Culture swabs were placed into Lim Group B Strep Broth (GIBCO Laboratories, Madison, Wis.) and quantitated for GBS. A strong correlation was found between the numbers of GBS in the maternal vagina and the infant rectum. Infants symptomatic for early-onset GBS disease were delivered by mothers heavily colonized (greater than or equal to 3 X 10(4) GBS per swab) at the vagina. Such mothers were identified as GBS carriers by slide coagglutination and latex agglutination after their broth cultures had been incubated for 5 h. These data indicate that maternity patients at high risk of delivering infants heavily colonized with GBS and potentially symptomatic for early-onset GBS disease can be rapidly and selectively identified.