Group B Streptococcal Infection - Diagnosis

Diagnosis

Babies at greatest risk of developing GBS disease are those born to women who carry GBS during labour. Testing women during pregnancy for GBS is not currently done in the UK, allegedly because of the costs and logistics involved. Research has shown that testing pregnant women, using the more sensitive ECM tests, and giving antibiotics in labour to those carrying GBS and to high-risk women, was significantly more cost-effective than using a risk-factor approach. One research paper calculated an expected net benefit to the Government of such an approach to be around £37 million a year, compared with the current RCOG approach

GBS tests are performed by using a swab test. Swabs are ideally taken from the lower vagina and rectum at 35–37 weeks of pregnancy. They can be taken by healthcare professionals, or by the mother, following simple instructions.

Routine screening of pregnant women is performed in many counties, including USA, Canada, Australia, Israel, Belgium, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Argentina and Kenya. Published evidence has shown universally falling incidences of GBS infection in these countries following introduction of these screening-based preventative measures. A reliable test is not routinely offered within the NHS in the UK, and the number of GBS infections as a result is rising. Sensitive tests for GBS carriage are available privately in the UK and charity, Group B Strep Support, lists those which adhere to the Health Protection Agency's Standard Operating Procedure (BSOP58) for processing these. In the UK, only 1% of maternity units test for the presence of Group B Streptococcus.