Background: Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus, GBS), a leading cause of sepsis and meningitis in infants, can be transmitted vertically from mother to infant during passage through the birth canal. Detection of GBS colonization in perinatal women is a major strategy for the prevention of postpartum neonatal disease.
Aim of the work: To determine the in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility profile of group β Streptococcus in cases of pregnant females between 34 and 37 weeks of gestation for guiding the antimicrobial prophylaxis for cases of GBS colonized pregnant females.
Patients and methods: This study included 29 isolates of group β Streptococcus recovered from rectovaginal swabs taken from 112 pregnant women between 34 and 37 weeks of gestation. All swabs were inoculated on blood agar plate with bacitracin disc. Isolates that give B-haemolysis on blood agar and are bacitracin resistant were identified by catalase and CAMP test as group B- streptococci and they were 29 isolates. Antibiotic susceptibility by disc diffusion was done to the 29 isolates, using cation adjusted Mueller Hinton agar using the following antibiotic discs: penicillin, vancomycin, clindamycin, erythromycin, levofloxacin and cefotaxime according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute .
Results: The highest level of resistance was reported against cefotaxime where 20/29 (69%) were resistant. Whilst the minimum resistance was exhibited against levofloxacin with a 27.5% (8/29) resistance rate.
Conclusion: The prevalence rate of GBS colonization among pregnant women included in the study was 29/112 (25.9%) which is concordant with many other local and international studies. Thus, it is very important to expand the prenatal GBS screening among pregnant women to avoid the maternal and neonatal complications. It is recommended to perform antimicrobial susceptibility to pregnant women with GBS.