Maternal obesity and the risk of group B streptococcal colonisation in pregnant women

7/23/2019

Lucía Gómez Mompeán, MD

Lucía Gómez Mompeán, MD
My name is Lucía Gómez Mompeán. I'm 27 years old and I studied Medicine in Murcia's University. Since 2017, I'm doing Obstetrics & Ginecology specialization in Virgen de las Nieves Univerisity Hospital, Granada, Spain. With my workmates, we present you a casecontrol study about the relationship between GBS colonization and maternal obesity.

Group B Strep International

7/24/2019 07:12:39 am

Thank you, Dr. Gomez Mompean, for your very clear presentation on maternal obesity and the risk of GBS colonization. Could you comment on why maternal obesity would increase the risk of colonization?

Lucía Gómez Mompeán

7/24/2019 10:57:59 am

Unfortunately, the biological mechanism for an increased GBS colonisation in obese women is unclear yet, although it may be related to alterations of the composition and the functional properties of the gut microbiota; specifically a 50% reduction in the division Bacteroidetes (gram-negative) and a proportional division-wide increase in Firmicutes (gram-positive).

What it has been demonstrated by several studies, is the relationship between the incidence of GBS colonisation and maternal obesity. Stapleton et al. (2005), in a population-based study with a 5% colonisation rate, found a 20% increased risk of GBS colonisation with obesity, and Kleweis et al. (2015) found that obese mothers at term were 35% more likely than non-obese women to test positive for GBS. In our study, obesity was associated with a 33% higher risk of GBS colonization.

Obesity has not yet been considered one of the risk factors for which an intrapartum prophylaxis should be offered to women with an unknown GBS status. However, in our opinion and based in the results of the studies, maternal obesity may be considered in the risk factors that should be taken into account for offering antibiotics against EOGBSD in neonates, particularly if a routine screening policy is not implemented.

Dr. Macey

7/24/2019 11:28:33 am

Thank you for highlighting this risk factor. Mothers should be made aware of this during preconception care. In the future it would be interesting to see colonization rates with underweight women

Ellen Nguyen

7/25/2019 09:22:18 am

Are you aware of any studies regarding obese women losing weight (besides their pregnancy weight) and how quickly or if this would reduce the likelihood of being GBS colonized?

Lucía Gómez Mompeán

7/25/2019 12:47:02 pm

Good evening, Ellen Nguyen.
As far as I know, there are not these kind of studies yet. I hope that there will be soon, because it woud be quite interesting in order to recommend even stronger the weigh loss in obese pregnant women, with all the other benefits that this would carry in their health.

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