Streptokokken B, Chromagar

Streptococcus B are pathogenes which are present in many people without any symptoms. For healthy people this is usually completely harmless, but in pregnant women, there is a risk that the child becomes infected with GBS before or during birth. In this case the newborn should be treated with antibiotics immediately after birth.
In order to avoid the administration of antibiotics to the newborn, pregnant women are advised to test for streptococcus B before birth (35-27 weeks of gestation) and if tested positive, to treat the mother with appropriate antibiotics before giving birth. This protects the newborn from GBS infection and avoids antibiotic administration to the infant.