[Incidence of early-onset neonatal sepsis caused by group B Streptococcus at the Pediatric Clinic of the University Clinical Center in Sarajevo]. / Incidenca rane neonatalne sepse streptokokom grupe B na Pedijatrijskoj klinici KCU Sarajevo.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is the main ethiological agent of neonatal sepsis in the developed countries. Because of high mortality rate American College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists and Centers for Disease Control published recommendation for prevention of neonatal GBS infection. Program recommends screening of all pregnant women for anogenital GBS infection including intrapartum treatment of pregnant women at high risk, with penicillin or ampicillin. Clindamicin or erythromicin may be used for women allergic to penicillin. Since there is no detailed informations of early-onset neonatal GBS infection in our country, we investigated its incidence in Pediatric Clinic in Sarajevo, from December 1999 (when first case of early-onset GBS infection in last decade was diagnosed) to August 2002. During that period 7 neonates with early-onset GBS infection were identified (incidence 0.52 per 1000 livebirths). Four of seven sick newborns died, 2/7 survived with severe neurological sequelae and only one female newborn survived without deficits. In the same period we registered 36 (2.4%) GBS colonised neonates out of 1530 admitted neonates. The number probably is higher because of discharge GBS colonized asymptomatic neonates from Maternity as a healthy to home. Results of this study intend the necessity of implementation guidelines for GBS prevention since early onset GBS infection is becoming as an increasing problems in our population.