Obstetric observations in eleven cases of neonatal sepsis due to the group B beta hemolytic streptococcus.

Neonatal sepsis due to Group B streptococcus is reported to be increasing, but the reasons are unclear. Eleven cases from a single hospital were reviewed for common obstetric factors. Frequent observations associated with 8 surviving infants were maternal infection, early evaluation and treatment of the newborn, and 4+ or 5+ growth on maternal cultures. In contrast, mothers of the 3 infants who died had no clinical signs of infection, and cultures were not obtained. All 11 infants had direct monitoring during labor but the frequency of infection, 1/1600 live births, was lower than usually reported. Three surviving infants and 3 nonsurvivors were premature. Semiquantitative culture technics suggest that the predominance of Group B streptococcus in the vagina may be a more important etiologic factor than the frequency of its presence.