TITLE:
Ritual Immersion in a Mikveh Is Associated with Increased Risk of Group B Streptococcal Carrier State in Israeli Parturient Women
AUTHORS:
Revital Drai-Hasid, Ronit Calderon-Margalit, Ahinoam Lev-Sagie, Guy Avital, Colin Block, Allon E. Moses, Drorith Hochner-Celnikier
KEYWORDS:
Group B Streptococcus, Carrier, Risk Factors, Colonization, Religiosity
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.5 No.14,
November
30,
2015
ABSTRACT: Purpose: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection is a major cause of
neonatal sepsis. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence and
risk factors for GBS carriership among parturient women in Jerusalem. Methods:
A cross-sectional study of 436 parturient Jewish women at Hadassah-Hebrew
University Medical Center, Mount Scopus. The study included patient interview
and vagino-rectal swab for culture. Main outcome measures were the prevalence
of GBS carriership among study population. Results: Of the 436 participants, 77
had a positive culture for GBS, giving a carrier rate of 17.7%. No differences
were found between carriers and non-carriers in age, BMI or parity. Orthodox
Jewish women had a significantly higher carrier rate compared with secular Jewish
women (20.6% vs. 12.8% respectively), yielding an age, education and BMI
adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 1.9 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06 - 3.40).
Similarly, ritual immersion was associated with increased risk of carrier state
with an adjusted OR of 2.01 (95% CI: 1.03 - 3.92, P = 0.039). Conclusions: Our
study suggests an association between ritual immersion in the Mikveh and GBS
carriership.