View clinical trials related to Group B Streptococcus.
Filter by:The purpose of this study is to evaluate the test characteristics of a rapid intrapartum real- time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) compared to the intrapartum GBS culture as the standard in preterm patients presenting with threatened preterm labor or with obstetric indications for preterm delivery.
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is the commonest cause of severe infection and meningitis in babies under 3 months in the United Kingdom (UK). About one in ten babies with GBS infection die and half of babies with GBS meningitis are left with long term problems with their development. Vaccinating pregnant women against GBS in order to protect their newborn babies is a promising area of research.However, many women are reluctant to accept vaccination during pregnancy for fear it will harm their unborn child and there is often a lack of understanding of both the vaccine and the condition it aims to prevent. Nevertheless, the recent positive experience of immunisation against pertussis in the United Kingdom, suggest that antenatal immunisation can be acceptable. Previous research has shown that advice from maternity healthcare professionals regarding vaccination is highly valued by pregnant women so it is also important to explore the attitudes and opinions of this group. The objective of this study is to assess the knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women and maternity healthcare professionals in England and Scotland regarding GBS disease and the acceptability of a potential vaccine. There are two parts to this study. The first part will invite pregnant women, maternity healthcare professionals and parents who have had a child affected by GBS disease to take part in either a focus group or an individual interview. This will allow for an in-depth exploration of the participants thoughts and opinions about GBS and vaccination in pregnancy. This part of the study will take place at the Oxford site only. The results will guide the development of a self completed, paper questionnaire which will be distributed to a wider range of pregnant women and maternity healthcare professionals across four different study sites. This study has been funded by Meningitis UK. Additional collaborators to those listed include the charity Group B Strep Support.
A retrospective review of the prevalence of Group B Streptococcus Positive Pregnant Patients in an Inner City Tertiary Care Center
Sweeping or stripping of the membranes (in this paper referred to as "membrane sweeping") is a widely utilized technique to hasten delivery for women at 37+ weeks gestation. The process of membrane sweeping probably causes release of prostaglandins from the decidua and the cervix. The efficacy of membrane sweeping is well studied, and has been shown to increase the number of patients in labor within 72 hours, reduce the frequency of pregnancy continuing beyond 41 or 42 weeks, and reduce the frequency of formal induction of labor. Thus, it is a safe and practical option for women who wish to avoid inductions of labor or postterm pregnancies. Group B streptococcus (GBS; streptococcus agalactiae) is a gram positive coccus that frequently colonizes the human genital tract. In pregnant women, GBS can cause urinary tract infections, chorioamnionitis, and postpartum endometritis. Newborn infants can also acquire GBS infection during passage through the vagina. Early onset GBS disease in the newborn can lead to pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis, all of which can be life-threatening. Early onset GBS disease has become rare since the widespread use of GBS screening and prophylactic treatment of pregnant women. The relationship between early onset GBS disease and sweeping of the membranes is not known. Based on the theoretical increased risk of bacterial seeding after membrane sweeping, as well as concern for fast labors and inadequate treatment after membrane sweeping, some practitioners choose not to sweep membranes in GBS positive patients. A meta-analysis did not show a difference in neonatal or maternal infection rates between women who underwent membrane sweeping and those who did not. ACOG guidelines state "the risks of membrane stripping in GBS positive patients has not been investigated in well-designed, prospective studies. Therefore, data are insufficient to encourage or discourage this practice". Specific Aims: In order to help elucidate the effect of membrane sweeping in GBS positive patients, the investigators propose this prospective randomized trial. The investigators primary objective is to determine whether membrane sweeping in GBS positive women is associated with inadequate antibiotic treatment in labor (defined as less than four hours of antibiotic therapy prior to delivery). The investigators secondary objectives are to measure the effect of membrane sweeping on pregnancy duration, length of labor and adverse events potentially related to membrane sweeping such as maternal chorioamnionitis and neonatal morbidity. Randomization is the real research portion of this study, since offering membrane sweeping is already the standard of care. Patients are followed until the time of delivery, which is within 6 weeks of enrollment for most women.
This study will evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a Group B Streptococcus vaccine.
Intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis has greatly decreased but not abolished early-onset neonatal sepsis caused by GBS. According to current recommendations, the evaluation of infants at risk for GBS sepsis should include a complete blood count (CBC), WBC differential, a blood culture (BC) and a period of observation. The usefulness of CBC and BC in the evaluation process is not firmly established.
The purpose of this study is to test the safety and favorable immune response to an anti-streptococcal vaccine (a vaccine that treats a common bacterial infection) in healthy non-pregnant women. Group B Streptococcus (GBS) continues to be the single most frequent cause of life-threatening bacterial infection during the first 2 months of life. Further, GBS pregnancy-related morbidity afflicts more than 50,000 women annually in the US. Therefore, active immunization of women is an appealing strategy for the prevention of GBS disease in pregnant women and their infants during the first 3 months of infant life.