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Medical Author:

Mary Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP

Mary Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP

Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Indiana University.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Group B strep may cause severe or fatal infections in newborn infants. Early-onset disease is the most serious. The bacteria may cause pneumonia or bloodstream infection (sepsis) or may infect the lining tissues of the brain, causing meningitis. Infected newborns are listless, don't feed well, and may have a condition called jaundice. Jaundice causes the skin and membranes to look yellowish. Infected babies have trouble breathing and may have low blood pressure. Even with the best of care, 5%-10% of babies with early-onset infections die. Babies who have low birth weights are at highest risk for death. Meningitis is a particularly severe manifestation of the infection, with 25%-50% of survivors having permanent brain damage.

Infants who become infected later in life (after 1 week of age) have late-onset disease. Although the infections can occur as late as 3 months after birth, most late-onset infections occur at about 3 weeks of age. Although usually less severe than early-onset infection, late-onset infection can sometimes cause sepsis, pneumonia, infected bones, seizures, and meningitis. Infected babies become listless, stop feeding well, and have fever. If treated promptly, late-onset disease is fatal in fewer than 3% of babies.

Pregnant women who are infected have fever, abdominal pain, and/or low blood pressure. The infection may cause a miscarriage, stillbirth, or pre-term labor. Infection may occur before labor or as late as 48 hours after delivery.

In non-pregnant adults, group B strep causes bloodstream infection, pneumonia, abscesses, or infections of the bone (osteomyelitis). People with bloodstream infections usually have fever and aches, and they may have low blood pressure. Bloodstream infections may lead to infection of the heart valves (endocarditis). Pneumonia causes shortness of breath and fever with cough. Abscesses are local collections of pus and may occur deep in the abdomen.

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