Group B Streptococcal Disease Treatment
Learn
- Overview
- What It Is
- Causes
- Risk Factors
- Diagnosis
- Symptoms
- Prognosis
- Living With
- Complications
- User Questions
Take Action
- Screening
- Medications
- Prevention
- Treatment
- Alternative Treatment
- Care Guide
- Questions for Your Doctor
- When to Contact a Doctor
- Find a Doctor
- Resource Guide
How to Treat Group B Streptococcal Disease
For Mom
If you test positive for GBS or are at high risk, your doctor may recommend giving you antibiotics through an IV during labor and delivery. Penicillin or ampicillin is usually used. If you have an allergy to those drugs, clindamycin or erythromycin may be used.
It is generally not recommended that women take antibiotics before labor to prevent GBS (unless GBS is identified in the urine). Studies have shown that it is not effective at earlier stages.
For Baby
If the doctor suspects strep B infection, a newborn might be kept in the hospital a couple of extra days for close watching (observation). If the baby is diagnosed with GBS, he or she will be treated with intravenous antibiotics for 10 days. Even with screening and antibiotic treatment, some babies can still get GBS disease.
