Perinatal Infectious Diseases

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of perinatal infectious diseases, particularly neonatal sepsis and meningitis. GBS is a bacterium that normally resides in the genital and gastrointestinal tracts of healthy adults, but it can be transmitted to the newborn during childbirth. In pregnant women, GBS screening is routinely performed around the 35th to 37th week of gestation to identify carriers. Infants born to GBS-positive mothers are at an increased risk of developing early-onset GBS disease, manifesting within the first week of life. Clinical features of early-onset GBS disease include respiratory distress, fever, lethargy, and poor feeding. Late-onset GBS disease can occur between the second week and several months of life, presenting with symptoms such as meningitis, sepsis, and pneumonia. Prevention strategies involve intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis for GBS-positive pregnant women, which has significantly reduced the incidence of early-onset disease.