The Necessity of Both Anorectal and Vaginal Cultures for Group B Streptococcus Screening During Pregnancy

Since our data suggest that there is a higher incidence of positive anorectal than vaginal GBS cultures (18.5% vs 13.0%), we recommend that clinicians obtain separate swabs of the vagina and anorectum. This maximizes the opportunity to determine GBS colonization status. Almost one fifth of our patients with GBS colonization would not have received intrapartum antibiotics if anorectal cultures had not been performed.

Conclusions

Neonatal sepsis is a serious disease. When choosing a screening strategy, identification of as many carriers as possible enables maximal intrapartum treatment. We suggest that all health care providers using the screening strategy for neonatal GBS prevention obtain separate cultures of the vagina and anorectum and explain to patients the rationale behind this approach.