Protecting Newborns From a Dangerous Threat

Unfortunately, the strategy has become a bit too popular, experts say.

Only about 25 percent to 30 percent of the 5 million U.S. women pregnant every year should test positive for Group B strep and be administered antibiotics prior to delivery, Rubens said.

"Some of the estimates are more than twice that number are being given antibiotics, because people aren't following the protocol closely," he said.

That's leading to concern that Group B strep could begin showing resistance to antibiotics if doctors don't rein in their use, Rubens said. So far, there's been no resistance shown, although other bacteria that can cause newborn illnesses, such asE. coli, have developed some resistance.

A better solution would be a vaccine to counter Group B strep, protection given to the mother that would pass to the baby during gestation. Several promising vaccines have been developed but are stuck at the testing stage because of the screening/antibiotic strategy, Rubens said.

"It's become an ethical consideration," he said. What woman would forego the safety of her baby to test an experimental vaccine?

While doctors wrestle with the vaccine dilemma, however, the message to expectant mothers remains the same: Get yourself tested, and make sure if you are positive that you get your antibiotics.

"They need to educate themselves," said Donna Russell, program director of the Global Alliance for the Prevention of Prematurity and Stillbirth at the University of Washington School of Medicine's Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center. "They should get to the hospital early enough to get their antibiotics, and they need to be aware of signs of illness, so they're ready to get their baby in for treatment immediately."

More information

To learn more, visit Group B Strep International.

SOURCES: Craig E. Rubens, M.D., Ph.D., professor of pediatrics, adjunct professor of microbiology, and chief, Division of Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Rheumatism, Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle; Diep Nguyen, M.D., obstetrician-gynecologist, Manhattan Beach, Calif., and founder of BabyKick Alliance; Donna Russell, MHA, program director, Global Alliance for the Prevention of Prematurity and Stillbirth, University of Washington School of Medicine's Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Group B Strep International