Prevalence of Streptococcus agalactiae colonization in pregnant women from the 18(th) Health Region of Paraná State

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of GBS colonization in pregnant women in a public health service. METHODS: A study of 496 pregnant women at 35-37 gestational weeks was conducted from September 2011 to March 2014 in 21 municipalities of the 18(th) Health Region of Paraná State. Vaginal and anorectal samples of each woman were plated on sheep blood agar, and in HPTH and Todd-Hewitt enrichment broths. RESULTS: Of the 496 pregnant women, 141 (28.4%) were positive for GBS based on the combination of the three culture media with vaginal and anorectal samples. The prevalence was 23.7% for vaginal samples and 21.9% for anorectal ones. Among the variables analyzed in this study, only urinary infection was a significant factor (0.026) associated with GBS colonization in women. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these results, health units should performs universal screening of pregnant women and hospitals should provide adequate prophylaxis, when indicated.