Perinatal Disease
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a part of normal flora of the gut and genital tract and is found in 20–40% women. It may be harmful to both mother and the baby itself. Infection of this organism may result in neonatal death due to severe neonatal infection. It may also result in maternal death although this is only occasionally by causing upper genital tract infection which progresses to septicemia. Carriage of the organism is asymptomatic. Newborn GBS disease is separated into early-onset disease occurring on living days 0–7 and late-onset disease which starts on days 7–90. Early-onset septicemia is more prone to be accompanied by pneumonia, this is thought to be due to aspiration of GBS during birth, while late-onset septicimia is more often accompanied by meningitis.
Read more about this topic: Group B Streptococcal Infection
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