Effectiveness of a prematurity-based protocol for management of infants born to mothers with Group B Streptococcus colonisation

The aim of this study was to validate the efficacy of a protocol for the management of infants born to colonised mothers with Group B Streptococcus (GBS). We studied a cohort of newborns admitted at the A. Gemelli University Hospital between May 2006 and December 2009. A total of 1,108 were newborns of mothers with GBS; 178 were children of mothers with unknown GBS status. Newborns were managed according to the care protocol in use at our division. Infected infants were born to mothers who underwent inadequate intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP). No mother with complete IAP had an infected newborn. The incidence of invasive GBS infection in newborns of mothers with GBS was 0.4% and in newborns of mothers with unknown GBS status was 2.2%. Only 17.4% of newborns of mothers with GBS had risk factors. The complete IAP should always be performed regardless of the presence or the absence of risk factors. The care protocol applied offers successful management of the newborns of mothers with GBS, based on the correct execution of IAP, considering as a primary risk factor, the gestational age of < 35 weeks.