Antimicrobial Resistance among Streptococcus Agalactiae Colonizers in Pregnant Women

Abstract

treptococcus Agalactiae, usually termed group B streptococcus (GBS), is one of the most important causes of early-onset neonatal infection. The incidence of neonatal GBS infection ranges from 0.80 to 3.06 per 1,000 live births in developing countries. Prenatal GBS screening is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by means of specimens harvested from the vaginal introitus and perianal region from all the pregnant women between 35 and 37 weeks of gestation. Intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) reduce both the vertical transmission of GBS and the early onset of neonatal sepsis. However, existing guidelines do not recommend that antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) be routinely performed. Penicillin or ampicillin are indicated as first-choice antibiotics, cefazolin being an alternative in the case of history of mild allergic reactions, and vancomycin or clindamycin an alternative in the event of severe reactions. This study was designed to determine the prevalence of colonization of GBS among pregnant females between 34th and 37th weeks of gestation, to determine the in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility profile of GBS in cases of pregnant females between 34th and 37th weeks of gestation for guiding the IAP for cases of GBS colonized pregnant females and to evaluate the performance of 2 chromogenic media (Granada agar and Chrom ID StreptoB AGAR) in comparison to the conventional blood agar media.