A trial of preventing early- and late-onset Group B streptococcal sepsis with combined intrapartum chemoprophylaxis and universal neonatal screening.

Background: Prevention of early-onset Group B Streptococcal (GBS) infection has been attempted by employing universal maternal screening for GBS, intrapartum chemoprophylaxis, and a single dose of penicillin given to neonates in the first hour of life. This strategy, however, does not seem to prevent the occurrence of late-onset neonatal group B streptococcal disease.

Study Design: We assessed early and late-onset GBS disease with the use of a before-after study designed to evaluate the implementation of intrapartum antimicrobial prophylaxis.