Background

Obstetricians and pediatricians are very concerned about Group B Streptococcus (GBS) injections in newborn babies. Women can carry the GBS without ill effect. Unfortunately they can pass it to their new babies at the time of delivery. A few babies will be become colonized with the germ without serious effect like their mother. A few will develop terrible infection from GBS including meningitis, pneumonia or even fatal sepsis. It is known that the carrier rate in healthy women at the end of pregnancy is around 10-30%. Most heath experts agree that treating the GBS culture positive women reduces the chance for baby to develop infection.

Study Goal

The goal of this study was to estimate the GBS carrier rate among Jewish woman delivering at Hadassah University Hospital and to estimate in mikveh was associated with a higher rate of GBS.

Results

They tested 436 Jewish women. 77 had a positive GBS culture. The carrier rate was 17.7%
Orthodox Jewish woman had a carrier rate of 20.6%
Secular Jewish woman had a carrier rate of 13%
40% of the Orthodox women went to Mikveh during pregnancy.
No association was found between mikveh use during pregnancy and GBS carrier state.
No babies developed GBS infection.

Discussion

The carrier rate among Jewish women is similar to what is seen in Europe and the United States. It is thought that GBS carrier rates are higher in women of Black race, women who use tampons and intrauterine devices, It is also associated with obesity and lower colon counts of lactobacilli.
There is no data on GBS colonization in baths and swimming pools. There is one small study reporting higher GBS colonization after water births.
This study demonstrates an association between religiosity and GBS colonization. It is not known if the mikveh has GBS in the water.
It is not known if the women who participate in niddah have different bacterial flora in the vagina than women who don’t use mikveh and internal vaginal self-examination.