GBS Answers - Meridian Bioscience, Inc.

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When It Comes to GBS Testing, Ask for the Best There was a time when losing newborns to Group B Streptococcus (GBS) was not at all rare. In the last few decades that has changed. Tragically, it still happens, but not nearly as often as it used to. The reason for the improvement? Routine diagnostic GBS testing of pregnant women. 61.4% Of term infants with GBS disease were born to women who had tested negative for GBS before delivery (99.5% were tested with traditional culture) Van Dyke, et al., NEJM, June 18, 2009; 360(25):2626-36 Approximately 90 percent of pregnant women who get prenatal care are now being tested for Group B Strep. When a woman tests positive, she is treated with IV antibiotics during delivery, preventing the transmission of bacteria that is harmless in mom, but can be deadly to a newborn. That’s the good news. The bad news is that laboratory tests aren’t perfect and can sometimes return a negative result when the mother is actually a carrier of GBS. Studies indicated that perhaps more than half of term infants born with GBS are born to mothers who had tested negative for the bacterium. The traditional method of testing for GBS is to take a vaginal swab from the mother at 35 to 37 weeks in her pregnancy. This sample is cultured to give the bacteria an opportunity to grow, and then examined to determine if GBS is present. In this traditional method, there are many steps along the way where mistakes can be introduced, explains Donna Mayne B.S (MT) ASCP, (CLS) NCA, Molecular Lab Manager at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Florida. “Reading the culture is subjective and the bacteria can take two different forms,” she says. “One is easy to see; the other is subtle.” The result is that some women who should be testing positive for GBS are getting negative results back from their tests. “Accurate testing for GBS is so important,” explains Marti Perhach, President and Founder of the Group B Strep International. “Otherwise, moms who test negative are given false assurances that they don’t need to be concerned about helping protect their baby from Group B Strep. According to a 2009 Study in The New England Journal of Medicine, 4
GBSAnswers 61 percent of moms who test negative were actually positive but the test results were inaccurate. This translates to babies becoming infected by GBS when there are proven prevention strategies in place to protect them during labor and delivery had their mother’s test result been positive.” Fortunately, modern science has provided an elegant solution to this problem. A molecular assay, which locates the piece of DNA that indicates the presence of GBS, is far more sensitive, says Mayne. Meridian Bioscience markets illumigene ® Group B Streptococcus, a molecular assay that can locate GBS. Molecular assays are faster and much more sensitive,” says Mayne. “Culture-only tests are accurate less than 50 percent of the time which is close to flipping a coin. Molecular testing technology is now available which is both more accurate and faster, according to the NEJM study,” notes Perhach. Speak Up GBS testing is now a routine part of prenatal care. The woman goes in for the test, the clinic sends the swab to a lab. The results come back, either positive or negative. An infant’s life may hang in the balance, but the mom has no idea what method the lab is using and all too often, the doctor doesn’t either. “As consumers, we never say, ‘I need a car,’” says Jack Kraeutler, CEO of Meridian Bioscience, Inc. “We are specific. We shop for an SUV with 4-wheel drive or a subcompact that gets good gas mileage. But in medicine we don’t even ask.” Mayne also thinks we should speak up and request quality. “I encourage women to get tested, and when you go in for the test ask your doctor to use a lab that uses a molecular assay,” she says. Don’t be shy about asking. Your child’s life could depend on it. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For more information: http://www.meridianbioscience.com/diseaseinformation/group-b-streptococcus/patients.aspx http://www.groupbstrepinternational.org/ http://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/ complications_groupb.html 5
Page 1 and 2: GBSAnswers magazine IMPORTANT Infor
Page 3: GBSAnswers What Is Group B Strep? G
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Page 9 and 10: GBSAnswers A Host of Complications
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