RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The neonatal infection by Streptococcus group B is one of the main causes of neonatal morbi-mortality rate. For this reason a screening is made to each pregnant woman in order to detect its presence, and if it was the case, to apply an antibiotic treatment during labour. The aim of this study was to know the prevalence of this Streptococcus in the pregnant women from Melilla, as well as the differences according to culture and age. METHOD: A descriptive cross-sectional study located in the Hospital Comarcal from Melilla. RESULTS: The sample is taken from 280 women: 194 are from Muslim culture (69.3%), 68 are from Christian culture (24.3%) and 18 women from unknown cultures (6.4%). Also it is known that 78 of them are 25 years old or less (27.85%), 158 are between 26 and 34 years old (56.42%) and 44 are 35 years old or more (15.71%). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of vagino-rectal colonization by Streptococcus group B in the pregnant women from Melilla is within the national estimated figures, however it is different if they are from Muslim or Christian culture, being higher in the Muslim population. On one hand both prevalences are within the national statistics, and on the other hand it is observed that there is not any difference according to age.