ABSTRACT
Background: Group B Streptococcus [GBS] has been described as one of the commonest causes of the early onset of sepsis among the newborns, which leads to high rate of mortality and morbidity. Centers for Diseases Control [CDC] [2016] recommended GBS screening for all pregnant women between 35 and 37 weeks of pregnancy
Objectives: This work aims for evaluation of Strep B carrot broth [SCB] versus Latex agglutination technique [LA] as a screening method for early detection of Group B Streptococci colonizingthe genital tract of pregnant females
Methodology: the present study was conducted on 100 pregnant women attending the antenatal care clinic of Maternity Hospitals, Faculty of Medicine, Ain shams University. Duplicate vaginal swabs were taken, one for detection of GBS byStrep B Carrot Broth [SBC] and the second swab for detection of GBS by latex agglutination test
Results: The prevalence of GBS was 33% by SCB. SCB had excellent performance compared to LA test, with a sensitivity of 90.9%, specificity of 100%, and negative predictive value [NPV] and positive predictive value [PPV] of 95.7% and 1oo%, respectively
Conclusion:We can use SCB for rapid and reliable GBS screening in pregnancy as it has less false positive results in comparison to other conventional methods. Antepartum GBS screening is highly recommended to reduce the emerging antibiotic resistance among GBS strains