Steven Doerr, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Doerr received his undergraduate degree in Spanish from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He graduated with his Medical Degree from the University Of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colorado in 1998 and completed his residency training in Emergency Medicine from Denver Health Medical Center in Denver, Colorado in 2002, where he also served as Chief Resident.
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.
Group B strep can normally be found in 15%-45% of all healthy adult women. It can commonly be found in the intestine, vagina, and rectal area. Most women who are carriers of the bacteria (colonized) will not have any symptoms; however, under certain circumstances, infection of both the mother and/or the newborn can develop. In newborns, if the group B strep infection develops in the first week of life, it is termed early-onset disease. If the group B strep infection develops from 1 week to 3 months of age, it is referred to as late-onset disease. Approximately 1,200 babies in the United States develop early-onset disease each year, with similar rates for late-onset disease.
How is group B strep transmitted?
In newborns, GBS infection is acquired through direct contact with the bacteria while in the uterus or during delivery; thus the infection is transmitted from the colonized mother to her newborn, with a transmission rate of approximately 50% in babies delivered vaginally. However, not every baby born to a colonized mother will develop GBS infection. Statistics show that about one of every 100-200 babies born to a GBS-colonized mother will go on to develop GBS infection.
Group B strep infection is more common in African Americans than in whites. There are also maternal risk factors that increase the chance of transmitting group B strep to the newborn:
Labor or membrane rupture before 37 weeks gestation
Membrane rupture more than 18 hours before delivery
Strep throat is a sore throat caused by a bacterium called streptococcus (strep) that can be treated through antibiotics. Common symptoms of strep throat include pinkeye, runny nose, skin rash, cough, hoarseness, diarrhea and more. Complications of untreated strep throat include middle ear infections, meningitis, pneumonia, rheumatic fever, and more.
Lymph nodes help the body's immune system fight infections. Causes of swollen lymph nodes (glands) may include infection (viral, bacterial, fungal, parasites). Symptoms of swollen lymph nodes vary greatly. They can sometimes be tender, painful or disfiguring. The treatment of swollen lymph nodes depends upon the cause.
Cellulitis is an acute spreading bacterial infection below the surface of the skin characterized by redness, warmth, inflammation, and pain. The most common cause of cellulitis is the bacteria Staph (Staphylococcus aureus).
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