Group B streptococcus infection in infancy: 21-year experience

Abstract

In this hospital-based review, clinical presentations associated with Group B streptococcus (GBS) infections in children occurring between January 1980 and March 2000 were analyzed. Among the 25 infants with invasive group B streptococcal infections, 9 (36%) were early onset diseases (EOD), 12 (48%) were late onset diseases (LOD), and 4 (16%) occurred beyond the third month of life. Eight of the nine (89%) EOD cases manifested during the first day of life and three (33%) were premature births. Common presentations in GBS infection were fever (75%), poor activity (25%), respiratory distress (25%), lethargy (20%), and irritability (20%). Seizure occurred in 31% of infants with meningitis. Pneumonia (66%) and case-fatality rate (33.3%) were significantly higher in EOD than in LOD. Meningitis was the major manifestation (77%) of LOD and had severe sequelae in 40% of cases. Eight strains were assayed for antibiotic sensitivity and they were all susceptible to penicillin, ampicillin, cefotaxime, and vancomycin. The susceptibilities to erythromycin and clindamycin were 62% and 75%, respectively. Most of the strains from blood or cerebrospinal fluid were type III.