Beta hemolytic strep is a type of bacteria found in intestines or around genitals. Beta hemolytic strep may not cause any visible symptoms, but in newborns, pregnant women, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems, it may cause illness.

Causes

Although doctors do not fully understand how people become hosts to beta hemolytic strep, the bacterium is not spread through sexual contact or through food or water, according to the Mayo Clinic. If a mother carries beta hemolytic strep, the newborn may become infected during a vaginal delivery.

Symptoms

In adults, beta hemolytic strep may cause urinary tract infections or more serious illnesses like pneumonia or bacteremia, a blood infection. Newborns may develop fever, difficulty breathing and lack of appetite within the first 12 hours of life, or more severe symptoms like upper respiratory tract infections or seizures later, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Diagnosis

To diagnose beta hemolytic strep infections, doctors typically rely on blood or spinal fluid, where traces of the bacteria appear in affected patients.

Treatment

Penicillin is the most common treatment for beta hemolytic strep, prescribed in oral or intravenous form, depending on the age of the patient and the severity of the condition, according to the Mayo Clinic. Patients with an allergy to penicillin may receive a different antibiotic, such as like cephalexin.

Prevention

To help prevent beta hemolytic strep infections in newborns, pregnant women receive a vaginal and rectal swab to test for the bacteria between their 35th and 37th week of pregnancy, according to the American Pregnancy Association. If the bacterium is present, doctors typically administer intravenous antibiotics during labor to prevent infection of the baby during delivery.

Source:

American Pregnancy Association: Group B Strep Infection

CDC: Group B Strep Prevention

Mayo Clinic: Group B strep