Surely if it can be found dormant in most of the population it should be eradicated from the whole population if there is any possible link to sepsis as we all have underlying conditions .Is reason ignored is that it only shows up if your pregnant ? Could not this be the reason for the immunity to antibiotics?
Could it be a reason for so many miscarriages ?
Group B Strep is a common bacterium, that is found quite normally humans and in other animals (including, for example, cows and fish). There are no ways known currently of eradicating group B Strep carriage.
Group B Strep usually causes no problems, but it can cause infection, most often in newborn babies and the elderly, where the infections it most often causes are sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis.
Newborn babies are most vulnerable to group B Strep infection - although for the large majority of babies, it will cause no harm, a very small percentage will develop infection when exposed to the bacterium. This is why, when GBS is detected in pregnancy, the mothers are offered intravenous antibiotics in labour - so that the baby gets a pre-birth dose of antibiotics, which reduce the chance of a GBS infection starting or taking hold.
The antibiotic recommended in labour is penicillin and GBS is not resistant to penicillin.
Although GBS is a rare but recognised cause of late miscarriage and stillbirth, we don't know of evidence that shows it also causes earlier miscarriages.
There's more information about group B Strep on our website at gbss.org.uk. Do get in touch with us at info@gbss.org.uk or 01444 416176 if we can help in any way.
