Not just babies and pregnant women face risks

Although far more common in newborns, group B strep infections can afflict people of all ages, men as well as women. And they can be serious and sometimes fatal.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Risk increases with age. Other than pregnant women, most people with strep B infections are about 60 years old. People with serious medical conditions -- including diabetes, cancer, liver disease and stroke -- are more at risk, as are those who are hospitalized, in nursing homes or otherwise bedridden.
• Symptoms differ between mild and more serious disease. Group B strep often cause urinary tract infections, which are treatable with antibiotics. More serious cases, when the bacteria have invaded areas of the body normally not exposed to bacteria, can result in blood infections, pneumonia and infections of skin, bones or joints. It can cause meningitis, but this is rare.
• Diagnosis is generally through testing of blood or spinal fluid to see whether the bacteria grow in a culture of those fluids. This can take several days.
• Treatment is with antibiotics, such as penicillin. Sometimes with bone or soft tissue infections, surgery may be needed.
• Prevention of strep B infection today is handled with the same infection-control techniques that institutions use to limit other bacterial infections. Scientists are working on a vaccine.