Bacteria That Mothers Commonly Carry May Put Newborn Babies at Risk, Study Finds

A new study has discovered that newborn babies are put at risk by certain bacteria that mothers commonly carry.

Bacteria Commonly Carried By Mothers

Streptococcus agalactiae (or Group B Streptococcus or GBS) is found in around one out of five women's genital tracts. Earlier research conducted by the research team from Rosie Hospital and the University of Cambridge had identified the bacteria in roughly 5% of women before labor started.

While antibiotics can be used to treat the bacteria, women will not know that they carry it until they are screened.

Across the United States, all women who are pregnant undergo routine screening for GBS. They are also treated with antibiotics if confirmed positive.

Pregnant women in the UK are also treated with antibiotics, though only a few pregnant women undergo GBS. This comes as the UK's approach is to get samples only from those pregnant women with complications or risk factors.

There are several reasons why pregnant women in the UK do not undergo screening. This includes the fact that GBS detection is not always clear and because only few babies that were exposed to GBS were believed to get ill.

Risk For Newborns

However, Dr. Francesca Gacciola from the University of Cambridge's Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology explains that the findings of the study can greatly change the balance of risks and benefits when it comes to universal screening. The findings show that there is a significantly higher number of newborns that are admitted to the neonatal unit due to sepsis associated with GBS.

GBC may lead to sepsis, a life-threatening response to a particular infection, in newborn babies. Across the globe, the bacteria is responsible for roughly 100,000 infant deaths and 50,000 stillbirths each year.

As part of the new study entitled "Placental Streptococcus agalactiae DNA is associated with neonatal unit admission and foetal pro-inflammatory cytokines in term infants," the research team examined the link between GBS presence in the placenta and neonatal admission risk of the baby. Researchers performed re-analysis on the data taken from their earlier study that involved 436 infants who were born at their term. The researchers were able to confirm the findings in a second cohort that involved 925 pregnancies.

Upon examining the umbilical cord serum of the babies, researchers discovered that more than one-third displayed higher levels of various cytokines, which are protein messengers that the immune system releases. This posits a cytokine storm, which is an extreme response of the immune system that could result in collateral damage with the host.

Based on the analysis, researchers think that placental GBC is linked to a two- to three-fold higher risk of admission in the neonatal unit. This came with the observation that one out of 200 babies were admitted with GBS-associated sepsis, which is nearly 10 times earlier estimates. GBS was identified in less than one in five cases during the babies' clinical assessment.

Boosting Detection

To enhance detection, the researchers were able to come up with an ultrasensitive PCR test that amplified small quantities of RNA or DNA from a suspected sample to detect GBS. They have already filed a patent for the test.

Professor Gordon Smith, who serves as the head of the University of Cambridge's Obstetrics & Gynecology, explains that with the new test, they realize that GBS cases that are clinically detected could signify the tip of the iceberg regarding complications that the infection could lead to. They are hopeful that the test could offer point-of-care testing that is viable and that could inform the need for prompt neonatal attention and care.

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