Vaginal carriage rate of Group B Streptococcus in pregnant women and its transmission to neonates

Maternal vaginal colonisation with Group B Streptococcus [GBS, Streptococcus agalactiae] at the time of delivery can cause vertical transmission to the neonate. GBS is the leading cause of sepsis, meningitis and pneumonia in the infants. Asymptomatic colonisation of the vagina with GBS varies with the geographical location. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2009 at Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Lower vaginal swabs were obtained from 200 pregnant women at the time of admission in the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Department for term, normal vaginal delivery and swabs from the skin of abdomen and ear canals of their respective neonates immediately after delivery were collected. Swabs were inoculated on blood agar and incubated aerobically and on Group B Streptococcus agar [GBS agar] and incubated anaerobically in an anaerobic jar. Identification of GBS was made on the basis of colonial morphology [beta-haemolytic colonies on blood agar and orange pigmented colonies on GBS agar], Gram stain, catalase test and conformation was done by means of latex agglutination tests. A GBS carriage rate of 8.5% among pregnant women before delivery and an acquisition rate of 53% on the abdominal skin and 18% in the ear canals by the neonates of colonised mothers were found. GBS colonisation in pregnant women and its transmission to the neonates is present in our population so GBS infections in the prenatal and neonatal period might not be uncommon in Pakistan, so routine screening should be carried out

Antibiogram of aerobic pyogenic isolates from wounds and abscesses of patients at Rawalpindi

During the years 1996-1998 pus specimens from wounds and abscesses of patients were cultured on to MacConkey and blood agar plates in microbiology section, pathology laboratory of Rawalpindi Medical College. Organisms were isolated from 220 samples. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common Pathogen [49%] followed by E.coli [25.9%] Klebsiella [9.5%], Pseudomonas aeruginosa [8.6%], Proteus sp [4%] and acinetobactor sp [2.7%]. Quinolones, aminoglycosides and cephalosporins were found to be the most effective antimicrobial in vitro while amoxicillin, minocycline and trimethoprim-Sulphamethaxazole were least effective

Group B streptococci carriage in pregnant women: acquisition by newborn infants and obstetrics complications

Group B streptococcal [GBS] carriage rate and its acquisition by newborns was investigated by culturing specimens from mother genital tract and from different sites of newborns in Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi. Incidence of preterm rupture of membranes [PROM], preterm delivery and history of vaginal discharge was observed in the GBS colonized and uncoIonized population. The condition of placenta and liquor amni and the mean time between ruptures of membranes and delivery was also observed amongst colonized and uncolonized mothers. Cultures were done on starch serum agar described by Islam [1977] anaerobically and golden yellow colonies were subjected to serological diagnosis. A carriage rate of 9.3% amongst mothers and an acquisition rate of 71.4% by infants of colonized and 1.4% by infants of uncolonized mothers was found. PROM and preterm delivery was observed in 14.2% of the colonized mothers while 9.5% and 5.1% of the uncolonized mothers had PROM and preterm delivery respectively. From the data obtained it appears that GBS infection may not be uncommon in Pakistan and the association of GBS with gynaecological, obstetric and perinatal complication is significant