Group B Streptococcus and Pregnancy

EDITORIAL COMMENT: We have accepted this paper for publication as an Editorial because it is an overview of the experience from a centre with a longstanding interest in routine screening for Group B streptococcus in pregnancy. The fact remains that universal screening for Group B streptococcus during pregnancy is not routinely performed in many major hospitals in Australia although it is widely advocated. It may be noted that in Victoria in 1992 there were only 2 perinatal deaths considered to have resulted from Group B streptococcal infectionA; the extent to which this low mortality rate is related to antenatal screening and intrapartum treatment is not known.