Group B Streptococcus Awareness Month: What you need to know

July is International Group B Streptococcus Awareness Month. According to the CDC, approximately one in four women carry group B streptococcus, which has been identified as the leading cause of sepsis and meningitis in newborns. The disease can also infect offspring during pregnancy and in the first months of life.

Listed below is a sampling of the latest news and research for family and primary care physicians regarding group B streptococcus (GBS). Here’s what you need to know:

GBS incidence in sub-Saharan Africa suggests need for greater prevention

GBS prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa between 1990 and 2014 was 1.3 per 1,000 births, indicating that better preventive methods are necessary, according to data published in Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. Read more.

Late-onset GBS sepsis exceeds early-onset pediatric cases in Switzerland

Cases of late-onset GBS sepsis were more prevalent than early-onset cases among pediatric hospitals in Switzerland, according to data published in Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. Read more.

Intrapartum antibiotic lowered early-onset neonatal BGS sepsis rate

A hospital in South India implemented an intrapartum antibiotic policy, causing a nearly fivefold decrease in the overall incidence of early-onset neonatal GBS sepsis. Read more.

Guidelines did not reduce GBS in Dutch infants

Prevention guidelines did not reduce the incidence of GBS among neonates in the Netherlands, according to data published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. Read more.

Mothers a common source of infection in late-onset GBS

Premature infants had a high rate of GBS infections, and many likely acquired the illness from their mothers, according to data published in Pediatrics. Read more.