Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition 2008;93:F90-F93
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Group B streptococcal disease in Portuguese infants younger than 90 days
NICU-Hospital de Dona Estefânia. Lisboa, Portugal, Portuguese Paediatric Surveillance Unit-Portuguese Society of Paediatrics
Correspondence to:
Maria Teresa Neto, NICU-Hospital de Dona Estefânia, Rua Jacinta Marto 1169-045, Lisbon, Portugal; teresaneto{at}netcabo.pt
Background: Group B streptococcus (GBS) is the most common isolate in mother-related infection in newborns.
Aims: To evaluate the epidemiology of GBS infection in the first 90 days after birth; to determine if prophylaxis for early-onset neonatal GBS infection can be based only on risk factors.
Design: National epidemiological surveillance.
Methods: Between April 2001 and March 2005 active, systematic, voluntary, national surveillance was performed through the Portuguese paediatric surveillance unit. Case definition: any infant <90 days of age with GBS-positive culture in any normally sterile site—blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), joint aspirate. Early-onset infection defined as in the first six full days after birth.
Results: 242 cases were reported (estimated cumulated incidence 0.54/1000 live births (95% CI 0.47 to 0.61)). Infection occurred before day 7 in 194 babies (81%); 13% presented between days 7 and 28; 6% between days 28–90. The incidence of early-onset infection was 0.44/1000 live births; 196 were term infants (81%), 160 of whom became ill before day 7; only 35 (22%) of these had one or more risk factors for infection. Overall, there were 229 positive blood cultures; 46 newborns had meningitis and 48 pneumonia. Mortality was 6.6% (16/242); it was similar for early (6.7%) and late-onset infection (6.3%), but varied by gestation—4.6% for term infants, 15.2% for preterm and 18% for babies born <1500 g.
Conclusion: GBS infection is predominantly an early infection of the term infant. Mortality is higher in preterm and very low birthweight infants. GBS prophylaxis based on risk factors would leave untreated 78% of term babies who will present with early-onset disease.
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
Relevant Article
- Fantoms
- Martin Ward Platt, Deputy Edi
Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2008 93: F79.[Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]
- Full Text
- Full Text (PDF)
-
All Versions of this Article:
adc.2007.127464v1
93/2/F90 most recent - Submit a response
- Alert me when this article is cited
- Alert me when eLetters are posted
- Alert me if a correction is posted
- Citation Map
Services
- Email this link to a friend
- Similar articles in ADC Online
- Similar articles in PubMed
- Add article to my folders
- Download to citation manager
- Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Topic Collections
-
Epidemiologic studies
-
Meningitis
-
Pneumonia (infectious disease)
-
TB and other respiratory infections
-
Infection (neurology)
- Relevant Article
Bookmark with
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
