IMR Press / CEOG / Volume 47 / Issue 5 / DOI: 10.31083/j.ceog.2020.05.5411
Open Access Original Research
Detection of group B streptococcus colonization in cervical and lower vaginal secretions of pregnant women
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1 Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, P.R. China
2 Shenzhen Futian Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Shenzhen, 518045, P.R. China
*Correspondence: zhongmei20189@163.com (MEI ZHONG)
Clin. Exp. Obstet. Gynecol. 2020, 47(5), 669–674; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.ceog.2020.05.5411
Submitted: 16 October 2019 | Accepted: 9 June 2020 | Published: 15 October 2020
Copyright: © 2020 Wang et al. Published by IMR Press
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Abstract

Objective: To examine the efficacy of cervical and lower vaginal secretions in the detection of group B streptococcus (GBS) colonization in women in early and late pregnancy. Materials and Methods: Two-thousand women in early pregnancy (8-12 weeks of gestation) aged approximately 27 years who visited our outpatient clinic from December 2016 to December 2018 were enrolled. Cervical and lower vaginal secretions were obtained at 8-12 weeks (early pregnancy) and then at 37 weeks (late pregnancy) of gestation and screened for GBS infection. Patients were classified as follows: (i) cervical and lower vaginal secretions were GBS-positive (group A), (ii) only cervical secretions were GBS-positive (group B), (iii) only lower vaginal secretions were GBS-positive (group C), and (iv) both cervical and lower vaginal secretions were GBS-negative (group D). Results: No difference in the GBS-positive rate was observed between women in early and late pregnancy. The GBS-positive detection rate was lower in women from which cervical secretions were screened than that in women from which lower vaginal secretions were assayed; however, the incidence rates of adverse pregnancy events, such as abortion, preterm delivery, premature rupture of membranes and neonatal infection, were higher in women in which cervical secretions were assayed. Conclusion: Women in early pregnancy should be screened for GBS infection using cervical secretions.

Keywords
Pregnancy
Group B streptococcus
Cervical secretions
Vaginal secretions
Neonate
Funding
FTWS2018034/Public welfare fund project in Shenzhen, Futian District
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