Skip to main content
SMFM 2025 Pregnancy Meeting Main banner
Final Program


Program Book
Icon Legend
Presentation Icons
Additional registration fee required
Additional registration fee required
CME Credit Offered
CME Credit Offered
Abstract Award
Abstract Award
Recording
Recording
Poster Icons
Additional registration fee required
Additional registration fee required
Faculty have requested this content not be shared on social media
Faculty have requested this content not be shared on social media
CME Credit Offered
CME Credit Offered
Abstract Award
Abstract Award
Back

Poster Session 2

(580) The association between group B streptococcus colonization and long term infectious morbidity of the offspring

Thursday, January 30, 2025
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM  

    Submitting Author(s)

  • Noa Leybovitz Haleluya, MD (she/her/hers)

    OB/Gyn resident
    Soroka Medical Center
    Meitar, HaDarom, Israel

    • Coauthor(s)

  • Tamar Wainstock, PhD (she/her/hers)

    Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
    Beer Sheva, HaDarom, Israel

    • Presenting Author(s)

  • Eyal Sheiner, MD, PhD

    Head of department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soroka University Medical Center
    Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
    Beer Sheva, HaDarom, Israel

Objective:

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) colonizes the gastrointestinal and genital tracts of pregnant women. Determining colonization state near delivery time is an important determinant of infections in infants. Positive GBS carrier state is associated with short-term infant morbidity and mortality.  However, long-term effects were not thoroughly studied.  We aimed to study the association between positive test for GBS colonization near delivery and long-term infectious morbidity of offspring.

Study Design:

A population based cohort analysis was performed comparing infectious related pediatric morbidity among offspring to mothers with positive GBS status and negative or unknown GBS status. The analysis included all singletons born between the years 2002- 2021 at a single tertiary regional medical center. Infants with congenital malformations, multiple gestations, and cesarean deliveries were excluded from the analysis. Infectious related morbidities included hospitalizations or medical visits involving a pre-defined set of ICD-9 codes, as recorded in computerized files. A Kaplan-Meier survival curve was constructed to compare the cumulative infectious morbidity, and a Cox proportional hazards model was used to adjust for confounders.  

Results:

The study population included 146103 singletons. Positive GBS carrier state was recorded in 2225 (1.5%) patients. The cumulative incidence of long-term infectious morbidity was higher among the offspring in the group of positive GBS (Figure; Log-rank p< 0.001). The association remained significant and independent while adjusting for gestational age, maternal age, maternal hypertension and diabetes and ethnicity (Table, Adjusted HR= 1.15, 95%CI 1.09-1.22, p</em> < 0.001). 

Conclusion:

GBS colonization in genital tract near delivery is independently associated with an increased risk for long-term pediatric infectious morbidity of the offspring. Our results highlight the importance of GBS screening in pregnancy. In addition, we suggest using GBS status as a possible predictor for long-term pediatric morbidities which may require special surveillance in this group of children.