314
Views
8
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Meta-analysis on prevalence of vaginal group B streptococcus colonization and preterm births in India

ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon & ORCID Icon
Pages 2923-2931 | Received 18 Oct 2019, Accepted 19 Aug 2020, Published online: 01 Sep 2020
 

Abstract

Objective

Preterm birth is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Vaginal colonization of Group B Streptococci (GBS) is associated with increased risk of preterm birth. However, the association of GBS colonization and preterm births in the Indian context remains an unrecognized problem.

Data sources

Data was collected using various online search tools from 36 (1981–2019) Indian studies comprising 9778 cases.

Method of study selection

Studies reporting the prevalence of GBS colonization in the Indian population were included.

Tabulation, Integration, and Results

The prevalence of GBS colonization in pregnant Indian women was estimated to be 7.8% (763/9778) with wide heterogeneity across studies. The prevalence of GBS was 7.4% when culture methods were used and 11.6% with use of immunological methods. The detection rate of GBS almost doubled when enrichment was used in the culture method (8.1 vs. 5%). The risk of preterm delivery was higher (OR 7.9) among women with GBS colonization as compared to those without GBS.

Conclusions

As compared to the western population, there is low prevalence of GBS colonization among Indian pregnant women; however, the risk of preterm births with GBS colonization is higher. There is a need to implement a universal GBS screening program prior to intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis in women experiencing preterm births.

Acknowledgments

We are thankful to, Mr. Prashant Tapase and Dr. Shahina Begum (NIRRH) for technical support during data analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The study is funded by grant from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) grant file 70/2/2018-BMS-MIF..

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.