Group B Strep Not Only Dangerous to Infants

While most of the attention concerning Group B strep’s infectious dangers centers around newborns, it can also cause considerable harm to older people.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers the following information about Group B strep and its effects on adults:

What are the symptoms of Group B strep disease in adults?

Sometimes Group B strep can cause mild disease in adults, such as urinary tract infections (UTIs, also called bladder infections). These are treated the same way urinary tract infections caused by other bacteria are treated, with antibiotics, and are usually not that serious.

Serious, invasive disease (infections where the bacteria have entered a part of the body that is normally not exposed to bacteria) can present in a number of different ways. The most common problems in adults are: bloodstream infections, pneumonia, skin and soft-tissue infections, and bone and joint infections. Rarely in adults, Group B strep can cause meningitis (infection of the fluid and lining surrounding the brain).

How are serious Group B strep infections diagnosed?

If doctors suspect a patient has an invasive Group B strep infection, they will take a sample of sterile body fluids, such as blood or spinal fluid. Group B strep disease is diagnosed when the bacteria are grown from cultures of those fluids. Cultures take a few days to grow.

How are serious Group B strep infections treated?

Group B strep bacteria are usually treated with penicillin or other common antibiotics. Sometimes soft tissue and bone infections may need surgery. Your treatment will vary according to the kind of infection with Group B strep you have, and you should ask your doctors about specific treatment options.

Is there any way to prevent Group B strep disease in adults?

Standard infection control measures, particularly for patients who are hospitalized or in nursing homes, help reduce the risk of bacterial infections, including those caused by Group B strep. Researchers are currently working on developing a Group B strep vaccine which may one day be available to the public as a way to prevent serious Group B strep infections among adults, particularly among the elderly.