prevalence of group B streptococcus colonization in Iranian pregnant women and its subsequent outcome

Group B streptococcus colonization in pregnant women usually has no symptoms, but it is one of the major factors of newborn infection in developed countries. In Iran, there is a little information about the prevalence of maternal colonization and newborns infected by group B streptococcus. In order to find the necessary information to create a protocol for prevention and treatment of group B streptococcus infection in newborns, we conducted a study of its prevalence among Iranian pregnant women and its vertical transmission to their newborns. This is a cross-sectional descriptive and analytic study performed at Prenatal Care Clinic of the Sarem Hospital from 2009 to 2011. The pregnant women with the gestational age of 35-37 weeks were enrolled in the study. The vaginal culture for group B streptococcus was done for 980 mothers based on our protocol. Among 980 mothers, 48 were shown positive vaginal culture; however, 8 cases among these 48 mothers were positive for both vaginal and urine culture. Babies with mothers showing positive vaginal culture were screened for infection using complete blood count /blood culture [B/C] and C-reactive protein [CRP]. Then, a complete sepsis workup was performed for babies with any signs of infection in the first 48 hours after birth, and they received antibiotic therapy if necessary. All collected data were analyzed [SPSS version 15]. Among 980 pregnant women with vaginal culture, 48 cases had positive group B streptococcus cultures among which 8 mothers also had positive group B streptococcus urine culture. Our findings revealed that 22 [50%] symptomatic neonates were born from the mothers with positive vaginal culture for group B streptococcus. About 28 of them [63%] had absolute neutrophil count more than normal, and 4 [9.1%] newborns were omitted from the study. Therefore, 50% of neonates showed clinical feature, whereas para-clinical test was required to detect the infection for the rest of neonates who showed no signs or symptoms. The colonization of group B streptococcus in Iranian women is significant, while 50% of newborns from mother with positive vaginal culture were symptomatic after birth; therefore, screening of newborns for group B streptococcus infection is recommended to become a routine practice in all healthcare centers in Iran

Association of G71R mutation of the UGT1A1 gen with neonatal hyper bilirubinemia in the Iranian population

Jaundice with indirect hyperbilirubinemia is one of the most common neonatal problems that occur in 60% of term and 80% of preterm neonates but the causes are mostly unknown. It is suggested that race plays an important role in the prevalence of hyperbilirubinemia. It is a common problem in Iran that worries both parents and pediatricians. It has been found that a mutation in the UGT1A1 gene is responsible for structural changes in an encoded enzyme which reduces the function of the enzyme. This is a case-control study carried out in Ghaem Educational Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences from December 2007 for the period of one year. 26 healthy neonates tested for indirect hyperbilirubinemia within first week after full-term delivery and 53 healthy neonates without hyperbilirubinemia as a control group were included. Genomic DNA extracted using 2 cc blood sample followed by RFLP-PCR for detection of G71R mutation of UGT1A1 gene have been performed. SPSS software [version 16], t- test and chi square analysis have been used for statistical analysis of obtained data. 4.3% of the hyperbilirubinemic group was homozygotes for mutation in UGT1A1 and 26.1% were heterozygotes while 69.6% had no mutation. 21.3% of the control group had the mutation with 4.3% being homozygote and 17% being heterozygote. Frequency of G71R mutation in the hyperbilirubinemia group was not significantly more than that in the control group among Iranian newborns. This finding suggests that G71R mutation may not contribute to the development of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in Iranian newborns. It is recommended to establish further studies using well-designed inclusion criteria and more specialized mutation analysis techniques which cover all types of probable mutations in G71R gene