Carriage of Streptococcus agalactiae in women and neonates and distribution of serological types: a study in Brazil.

The prevalence of group B streptococcal carriage was evaluated in nonpregnant women and in mothers and their offsprings. The overall carriage rate of group B streptococci at one site was 18.2%. Streptococci were recovered from one or more of the sites sampled in 25.6% of mothers and 15.4% of newborn infants. The maternal genital carriage rate was 18.6%, and acquisition of the organism from the mother was assessed by serological typing of group B streptococcal isolates in the mother-infant pairs. A cervical carriage rate of 16.3% was seen in nonpregnant women.