the association of preterm labor with vaginal colonization of group b streptococci

background: group b streptococcus is regarded as a potential factor for adverse outcomes of pregnancy such as preterm birth. objective: to study the association of maternal vaginal colonization with group b streptococcus (gbs) and preterm labor. materials and methods: from april 2005 to may 2006, vaginal culture for gbs were conducted in 101 laboring women with a gestational age of 24-37 weeks and 105 women admitted for term delivery at maternity center of afzalipour hospital in kerman, iran. student`s t test and chi square test were used to compare continuous and categorical data between the groups. using multivariate logistic regression the association between gbs colonization and preterm labor was analyzed. p-values<0.05 were considered as significant. results: colonization was detected in 9.2% of all mothers. although gbs colonization was found more frequently in preterm than term patients (12 v/s 7 cases), the difference was not statistically significant. however, gbs positivity was roughly associated with preterm labor. age was also a risk factor for gbs colonization. no case of perinatal sepsis occurred during the study period. conclusion: maternal colonization for gbs is relatively low in our center. increasing age enhances the risk of colonization. vaginal colonization of gbs is relatively associated with preterm labor.