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Reduced colonization of newborns with group B streptococci following washing of the birth canal with chlorhexidine

Kvist Christensen, Karen ; Dykes, Anna-Karin LU and Christensen, Poul (1985) In Journal of Perinatal Medicine 13(5). p.239-243
Abstract
Possible measures for prevention of neonatal group B streptococcal (GBS) septicemia include active or passiv immunoprophylaxis and administration of penicillin to mothers and infants. In a previous study we have found GBS to be extremely sensitive to chlorhexidine. Furthermore vaginal washing with chlorhexidine diminished the recovery of GBS from parturients. In order to study the effect of chlorhexidine washing upon the colonization of newborns, a study group of chronic GBS carriers, i.e. women who were GBS positive in the 32-36 gestational week as well as during labor was selected. In 18 of these females chlorhexidine washing was performed prior to delivery while 33 chronic carriers served as controls. Screening during labor was... (More)
Possible measures for prevention of neonatal group B streptococcal (GBS) septicemia include active or passiv immunoprophylaxis and administration of penicillin to mothers and infants. In a previous study we have found GBS to be extremely sensitive to chlorhexidine. Furthermore vaginal washing with chlorhexidine diminished the recovery of GBS from parturients. In order to study the effect of chlorhexidine washing upon the colonization of newborns, a study group of chronic GBS carriers, i.e. women who were GBS positive in the 32-36 gestational week as well as during labor was selected. In 18 of these females chlorhexidine washing was performed prior to delivery while 33 chronic carriers served as controls. Screening during labor was performed in 945 consecutive patients. Cultures were collected from the external ear, throat and umbilicus of all infants within 5 minutes of birth and at day 4 of life. At birth 22% of the infants of the chlorhexidine washed mothers were colonized with GBS, in contrast to 52% of the infants from the chronic GBS carriers (p less than 0.05). The proportion of infants harboring GBS at day 4 were similar in the two groups (Tab. I). Among the 945 consecutively screened women, 164 harbored GBS and 54 (33%) of their 164 infants were colonized at birth. The colonization rate of the infants from chronic GBS carriers was significantly higher, 17 of 33 infants (p less than 0.05). This may reflect that the risk of contracting GBS by infants increases with the quantity of GBS in the birth channel. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Perinatal Medicine
volume
13
issue
5
pages
239 - 243
publisher
De Gruyter
external identifiers
  • pmid:3910791
  • scopus:0022382148
ISSN
1619-3997
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
f5db5688-50b0-42be-baef-afcf1696421f (old id 1103486)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:07:09
date last changed
2021-01-03 05:11:54
@article{f5db5688-50b0-42be-baef-afcf1696421f,
  abstract     = {{Possible measures for prevention of neonatal group B streptococcal (GBS) septicemia include active or passiv immunoprophylaxis and administration of penicillin to mothers and infants. In a previous study we have found GBS to be extremely sensitive to chlorhexidine. Furthermore vaginal washing with chlorhexidine diminished the recovery of GBS from parturients. In order to study the effect of chlorhexidine washing upon the colonization of newborns, a study group of chronic GBS carriers, i.e. women who were GBS positive in the 32-36 gestational week as well as during labor was selected. In 18 of these females chlorhexidine washing was performed prior to delivery while 33 chronic carriers served as controls. Screening during labor was performed in 945 consecutive patients. Cultures were collected from the external ear, throat and umbilicus of all infants within 5 minutes of birth and at day 4 of life. At birth 22% of the infants of the chlorhexidine washed mothers were colonized with GBS, in contrast to 52% of the infants from the chronic GBS carriers (p less than 0.05). The proportion of infants harboring GBS at day 4 were similar in the two groups (Tab. I). Among the 945 consecutively screened women, 164 harbored GBS and 54 (33%) of their 164 infants were colonized at birth. The colonization rate of the infants from chronic GBS carriers was significantly higher, 17 of 33 infants (p less than 0.05). This may reflect that the risk of contracting GBS by infants increases with the quantity of GBS in the birth channel.}},
  author       = {{Kvist Christensen, Karen and Dykes, Anna-Karin and Christensen, Poul}},
  issn         = {{1619-3997}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{239--243}},
  publisher    = {{De Gruyter}},
  series       = {{Journal of Perinatal Medicine}},
  title        = {{Reduced colonization of newborns with group B streptococci following washing of the birth canal with chlorhexidine}},
  volume       = {{13}},
  year         = {{1985}},
}