ANORECTAL AND VAGINAL CARRIAGE OF GROUP B STREPTOCOCCUS AMONGST PREGNANT WOMEN IN IRRUA SPECIALIST TEACHING HOSPITAL

Abstract

Background: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) colonization in pregnancy predisposes to mother-to-child transmission and may cause early neonatal disease with resultant septicemia, meningitis and pneumonia in neonates which is preventable by giving antibiotic prophylaxis to women in labour. Candidates for this prophylaxis are usually determined either by risk factor based screening in labour or by screening with rectal and vaginal cultures between 35 and 37weeks gestation.
Objectives: The objectives of the study are to determine the proportion of pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital with identifiable risk factor for GBS colonization and mother-to-child transmission; to ascertaining the proportion of pregnant women with actual colonization from culture and to decide which of the two modalities will be most suitable for the population.
Design: Descriptive Cross sectional study.
Setting: Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Edo State.
Patients/Participants: Two hundred and thirty-four women participated in the study after informed consent with an interviewer administered questionnaire used to collect relevant data.
Main Outcome Measures: The presence of risk factors amongst the respondents and the relationship of these to the GBS colonization status of respondents found on culture
Results: This study on anorectal and vaginal GBS colonisation in pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua revealed that 21% of them had one or more risk factors for GBS colonization. It also revealed that 9.8% of respondents actually had GBS colonization on culture with no statistically significant association between the presence of risk factors and actual colonization.
Conclusion: Universal screening of pregnant women with anorectal and vaginal culture for GBS, rather than the use of risk factors, is most suitable for antenatal clinic attendees of Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital and should be the method to be used in a protocol to be established in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of the hospital
Key words: Anorectal, antenatal, colonization, Group B streptococcus, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, pregnant women, vaginal.

ANORECTAL AND VAGINAL CARRIAGE OF GROUP B STREPTOCOCCUS AMONGST PREGNANT WOMEN IN IRRUA SPECIALIST TEACHING HOSPITAL