Ok, question for all of you astute nurses. Have any of you ever heard of anyone being symptomatic from colonized group b strep? Talked to my sister tonight and she told me that she's been suffering for over a year from a very painful, itchy lady partsl infection. Has been treated with PO Diflucan, metronidazole cream (which made her itch worse), amoxicillin, Valtrex, Augmentin, and Monistat, with no relief. Has been seeing a GP who has taken swabs and has told her now that she has GBS and that she will always have it.

I'm just a lil' ol' cardiac nurse and know nothing about any of this stuff! Checked out some information online, of course most of it is about perinatal transmission or else GBS septicemia in vulnerable adults. I told her that I think that she probably has some other infection and that the strep is just an incidental finding. Even if the GBS is causing her symptoms, it doesn't sound like she's received the right drugs to knock it out (PCN, clindamycin, gentamycin, ampicillin are some that I read of in my limited research tonight). Also, this has all been managed by her GP, who it doesn't sound like has a clue. I told her to see a gyn.

In the meantime, has anyone ever heard of these symptoms from GBS? I couldn't find any info online. I told her that a large percentage of women have it, most don't know it, and that it means abx w/childbirth. I think she has bacterial vaginosis from something else (because of her lovely description of d/c, redness, etc) and this just happened to show up.

Sorry so long--any info appreciated!

Karen

it is very unlikely to be caused by the GBS infection,probably something else causing it. unless she is severely immunocomprromised

I was just thinking that this morning (of course my mind always jumps to the worst)...I don't know what kind of risky behaviour she may have had in college; I hope there's nothing else going on that none of us know about....

Thanks for your input.

Yeah, I agree with Mark. I seriously doubt GBS could do such a thing.

It sounds like vaginitis or bacterial vaginosis to me. She needs to skip the GP and go to a GYN.

Oh, and everyone who is positive for GBS is always positive.

Oh, and everyone who is positive for GBS is always positive.

http://www.cdc.gov/groupbstrep/docs/GBS_Patient_Info.pdf

Shay,

I was pretty certain that wasn't so, but wanted to be sure before running my mouth. Here's a piece from the CDC...see #2

not that it matters much, the docs here will treat the patient that had gbs with prior preg as if they have it with each preg after it.they do not even retest for it/

Originally posted by mark_LD_RN

not that it matters much, the docs here will treat the patient that had gbs with prior preg as if they have it with each preg after it.they do not even retest for it/

I wonder if that is standard procedure as our docs do the same.

Our docs don't even test for it!

Originally posted by NurseyNursey

Our docs don't even test for it!

We have one that doesn't test either, but does treat moms with a history of GBS or risk factors:

Originally posted by mark_LD_RN

not that it matters much, the docs here will treat the patient that had gbs with prior preg as if they have it with each preg after it.they do not even retest for it/

our drs. do this too. if pt. gbs pos. w/ one pregnancy. she is not retested, just gets tx w/ a subsequent pregnancy.

Our docs used to overtreat for GBS; we've now changed the protocol to follow the CDC guidelines. They're easy to follow and evidence based.