Group B beta-hemolytic streptococci as an important cause of perinatal mortality.

Bacteriological and pathological examinations of all 73 stillborn infants and 96 infants dying soon after delivery in Västerås, Sweden during the period 1971-1974 are reported. 35 infants had a severe infection. Beta-hemolytic streptococci group B were isolated in 7 cases from different organs. Intrauterine death occurred in 2 cases; 4 liveborn infants showed early signs of respiratory distress, apneic episodes and cyanosis; 1 infant showed signs of intrauterine asphyxia and was severely asphyctic at birth. Thus, infection with group B streptococci occurred in 20% of the infants who succumbed to infections during this period.

Occurrence and significance of hemolytic streptococci groups b-u in human infectious disease.

245 strains of hemolytic streptococci, isolated from 225 patients with infectious diseasses, were grouped serologically according to Lancefield. About 40% belonged to group B and half of them were found in the genito-urinary tract. Another 40% belonged to the groups C and G, half of them being found in the respiratory tract and often as the only potentially pathogenic organism. About 10% of the isolates belonged to other of the groups E to T, including M streptococci, and were found under similar circumstances as the C and G isolates. The last 10% could not be referred to any of the groups A-U. In 4 cases group B streptococci were found as the only potentially pathogenic organism in typical erysipelas, and in 4 cases of septicemia the only bacterial finding from blood was a streptococcus of the groups B, C or G. In these cases, as in most others in which an etiological significance could be ascribed to steptococci of other groups than A, the patient was in a bad general condition, due to very high age, agranulocytosis, ethylism or narcomania.