Vaginal Carriage of Erythromycin Susceptible Group B <i>Streptococcus</i> in Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care at the Tiko Cottage Hospital, Cameroon: A Cross‐Sectional Study

Abstract

Background Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is often part of the normal microbiota in the genitourinary tracts of healthy women but can cause serious maternal and neonatal infections. This study aimed at determining the prevalence of GBS and its susceptibility to erythromycin from the vagina of pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at the Tiko Cottage Hospital in Cameroon. Methods A cross‐sectional study was conducted with 180 pregnant women recruited and vaginal swabs collected and cultured on blood agar. Biochemical tests such as catalase and CAMP’s tests were used to further identify and confirm GBS. Isolates were tested for erythromycin resistance using the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 27. Logistic regression was used to determine associations between predictors and GBS colonization, with confidence interval of 95% and statistical significance of p &lt; 0.05. Results Of the 180 pregnant women who participated in the study, 15 (8.3%) were positive for GBS, with 80% of them in their third trimester of pregnancy, with the remaining 20% in their second trimester, and none in the first trimester. All 15 isolates of GBS demonstrated a 100% sensitivity to erythromycin, doxycycline, and amikacin. Fourteen of the 15 GBS isolates were resistant against augmentin and oxacillin. There was no statistically significant association between sociodemographic, lifestyle, clinical, and obstetrics information, and GBS colonization. Conclusion The prevalence of GBS among pregnant women varies with gestational age, and women in their third trimester were more likely to be colonized than those in the second and first. Erythromycin can be used as an empirical treatment among GBS‐positive patients in this study population.