10th June 2003
BETTER BABY INFECTION TESTS NEEDED
A potentially harmful bacterial infection affects more babies than official figures suggest, claim researchers.
According to researchers from St. George's Hospital in London, there may be two to three times the number of Group B streptococcal (GBS) infections than previously estimated, because existing tests don't pick up all cases. They reached this conclusion after looking at incidences of the infection in over 400 newborn babies who were screened within three days of being born. Even though the doctors were able to spot potential signs of GBS, the tests used didn't detect every case.
If left undetected, the infection can lead to the potentially fatal blood poisoning condition called sepsis, which causes about five to 10 per cent of full-term babies and 10 to 20 per cent of premature babies to die each year. As a result, experts are calling for improved tests in the UK to match those available in other countries. ,/p>
Professor Robert Feldman, a visiting professor in neonatal infection at Imperial College, London, said, "Other countries, including the USA, routinely test women in late pregnancy for GBS using the reliable enrichment culture method. Scientific evidence shows that screening with this method will prevent most GBS infection in newborn babies."
"But this is not done in the UK," he added. "The tests used here for detecting GBS are highly insensitive. A swab taken from a woman carrying the infection will give an incorrect negative result up to half of the time."
A spokesperson for Group B Strep Support said some tests are now available privately in the UK and they're hopeful they may eventually become a routine part of the NHS.
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