Group B Strep factsheet

• Labour is preterm (before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy)
• There is premature rupture of membranes (before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy) with or without other signs of labour
• There is prolonged rupture of membranes (more than 18 to 24 hours before delivery) with or without other signs of labour
• The pregnant woman has a raised temperature (37.8?C or higher) during labour

• The pregnant woman has been found to carry GBS during the present pregnancy
• The pregnant woman has GBS bacteria in her urine at any time during the present pregnancy (this should be treated at the time of diagnosis)

• The pregnant woman has had a baby who developed a GBS infection

How can most GBS infection in babies be prevented?
The risk factors listed above identify most babies who will benefit from their mothers receiving intravenous antibiotics and, if the mother is known to carry GBS, will reduce the risk of her baby developing GBS infection from around one in 300 to less than one in 6,000.