The burden of invasive neonatal group b streptococcal (gbs) disease in thailand and the philippines.

THE BURDEN OF INVASIVE NEONATAL GROUP B STREPTOCOCCAL (GBS) DISEASE IN THAILAND AND THE PHILIPPINES. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2015 Jul;46(4):728-37 Authors: Villanueva-Uy ME, Wongsiridej P, Sangtawesin V, Chiu V, Tallo V, Nazaire-Bermal N, Bock H, Cunnington M, Nan C, Boudville I Abstract Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of meningitis and sepsis in infancy, but burden of disease data are scarce for Asia. We performed two hospital-based, prospective, descriptive, observational studies using similar protocols in the Philippines and Thailand to evaluate neonatal GBS disease epidemiology. Infants aged <90 days with a GBS-positive culture from normally sterile sites using routine microbiological standards were eligible for inclusion. Awareness of GBS symptoms was raised by informing all women at delivery and follow-up for 90 days post-delivery. Infections were classified as early onset disease (EOD) if they occurred within 6 days of birth and late Onset disease (LOD) if they occurred 7-89 days after birth. Due to ethical requirements in Thailand, consent for study participation, including periodic post-discharge telephone calls, was obtained at delivery. Parents in the Philippines gave consent for study participation at case identification. The clinical outcomes of GBS infections were recorded. During the 6-month study period, two cases (one fatal) of EOD were identified among 8,409 live births at the stu...
Source: Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health - Category: Tropical Medicine Tags: Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health Source Type: research