CDC - Fast Facts and Statistics on GBS - Group B Strep

Fast Facts
Newborn

* In the U.S., group B strep is the leading cause of meningitis (infection of the fluid and lining around the brain) and sepsis (infection of the blood) in a newborn’s first week of life (early-onset disease).
* About 25% of pregnant women carry group B strep in the rectum or vagina. Group B strep bacteria may come and go in people’s bodies without symptoms.
* CDC’s guidelines recommend that a pregnant woman be tested for group B strep when she is 35 to 37 weeks pregnant.
* A pregnant woman who tests positive for group B strep and gets antibiotics during labor has only a 1 in 4,000 chance of delivering a baby with group B strep disease, compared to a 1 in 200 chance if she does not get antibiotics during labor.
* Any pregnant woman who had a baby with group B strep disease in the past, or who has had a bladder (urinary tract) infection during this pregnancy caused by group B strep should receive antibiotics during labor.
* Most early-onset group B strep disease in newborns can be prevented by giving pregnant women antibiotics (medicine) through the vein (IV) during labor.
* Newborns are at increased risk for a group B strep infection if their mother tests positive for group B strep during pregnancy.
* The antibiotics used to prevent early-onset group B strep disease in newborns only help during labor — they can’t be taken before labor, because the bacteria can grow back quickly.
* The rate of serious group B strep disease increases with age; average age of cases in non-pregnant adults is about 60 years old.

CDC - Fast Facts and Statistics on GBS - Group B Strep