Significance of Gram's stain in rapid intrapartum screening for maternal carriership of group B streptococcus.

Objective: Group B streptococcus (GBS, Streptococcus agalactiae) is an important cause ofneonatal sepsis. Prevention is possible by intrapartum screening for maternalGBS carriership and antimicrobial treatment ofcolonizedwomen with risk factors during labor. The conflicting results ofdiagnostic performance are reported both for the newly developed rapidGBS antigen tests andGram’s stain. Methods: The value of Gram’s stain in GBS screening was investigated prospectively in 1,020 women. Intrapartum Gram’s stains ofthe cervix from these women and ofthe introitus from 510 of them were compared with cultures of the cervix, introitus, and anorectum in a semiquantitative way. Results: The sensitivities of the cervical and introital Gram’s stains were 25% and 31%, respectively, and the specificities 99% and 98%, respectively. Higher sensitivities (52% and 44%, respectively) were found in heavily colonized parturients. No significant influence of rupture of the membranes was detected. There was a poor correlation between the number ofgram-positive cocci in the Gram’s stain and the growth density. Conclusions: We do not recommend the routine use of the Gram’s stain for intrapartum GBS detection because ofboth the limited sensitivity and positive predictive value. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.