Normally between 35 weeks between and 37 weeks is when the doctor will do a vaginal and a rectal culture. This is done mainly to check for the bacteria called the Group B streptococci or the GBS. Group B streptococci is normally fairly harmless in adults, however if a pregnant mother has it and passes it on to her baby during the birth process, then it can lead to some serious complications, like meningitis, pneumonia, or even a blood infection. Because 10 - 30 percent of the pregnant women have this bacterium and most women are unaware of it. This makes it essential that a screening be done to rectify the problem. If the mother is a Group B streptococci carrier, then she will get IV antibiotics during labor. This will greatly reduce her baby's risk of getting the infection. Since the 1970's, this bacteria Group B Streptococcus has been found to be the number one reason a lot of newborn babies suffer from various life threatening infections.
Normally this bacterium is found in the woman’s vagina or her lower intestine. Those women who actually test positive for the Group B streptococci are termed as being colonized. Group B Streptococcus is not the same as Group A Streptococcus. This Group A Streptococcus causes the strep throat. The largest majority of the Group B Streptococcus infections are normally acquired during the childbirth process when the bacteria and the baby come in direct contact with each other. These Group B Streptococcus bacteria result in a large number of deaths among infants while many others infants are left mentally or physically handicapped. Performance of the cesarean section does not eliminate this risk of getting the infection. Thus although the Group B Streptococcus is rare among pregnant women, the final outcome can be very severe, and hence physicians include their testing as a routine portion of any prenatal care.
This test normally involves a swab of the woman’s vagina and also of her rectum. Hence in the 35th to 37th month the doctor will do a vaginal and a rectal culture. This sample is then taken to the lab where the culture is analyzed. The lab technicians will primarily be looking for the presence of the Group B streptococci. Test results are normally available in the first 24 to 48 hours. All the pregnant women who have these risk factors will then be treated with an antibiotic known as IV antibiotics.
Submitted by M T on April 1, 2010 at 05:55