Prevalence and resistance of Streptococcus agalactiae isolated from vagina and anorectum of pregnant women during the first organised screening of pregnant women for the presence of Streptococcus agalactiaea in Croatia

Abstract

Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) is the most frequent agent (cause) of the bacterial infection which is linked to the morbidity and mortality of a newborn baby. The aim of this work was to determine the frequency of positive findings (results) of GBS in pregnant women who were between 35 and 37 weeks pregnant, to determine the sensitivity of isolated bacteria to antibiotics, to determine if there is a statistically significant difference between positive results of GBS that were obtained by two different methods applied in processing of the samples, and to compare our results of screening of GBS to the results of similar research abroad, since this research is the first organized screening of pregnant women for the presence of GBS. In the period from 30th June 2005 to 29th September 2007, 539 smears of vagina and anorectum of pregnant women were tested for the presence of GBS, and processed in the Microbiological Laboratory of Public Health Institute of Vukovarsko-Srijemska County. By the “in house” method we processed 135 vagina smears of pregnant women for the presence of GBS. By the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta) recommended method we processed 404 vagina smears of pregnant women. 13.33% of samples processed by the “in house” method were positive. 14.60% of samples processed by the CDC recommended method were positive. The X²-test did not determine any statistically significant difference in the frequency of positive findings to Streptococcus agalactiae regarding the applied method (X²=0.050, p≥0.10). The frequency of GBS in pregnant women in the Vukovarsko-Srijemska County is 14.28%, which is one of the lowest frequencies described.