Correlation Between B Group Streptococcus Infection in Vagina and Maternal Serum Procalcitonin Level with Preterm Delivery

Preterm delivery is one of the biggest contributors to neonatal death because the organ systems in premature babies are not yet fully developed. The cause of preterm labor is multifactorial, one of which is complex inflammation due to Group B Streptococcus (GBS) bacterial infection. Maternal serum procalcitonin is a prohormone involved in the inflammatory process, and specifically as a marker of bacterial infection. This study time to determine the relationship between vaginal GBS bacterial infection and high maternal serum procalcitonin levels in preterm labor. This study used a cross-sectional method. Samples were 31 pregnant women who came to the Obstetrics ER at Sanglah Hospital Denpasar with a diagnosis of preterm delivery that met the inclusion criteria. Vaginal mucus samples were examined at the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory of Sanglah Hospital and procalcitonin samples were examined at the Clinical Pathology Laboratory of Sanglah Hospital. Descriptive and analytical analysis was performed on the data obtained. There were 7 positive GBS results (22.5%) and 24 negative GBS results (77.5%). The results of high procalcitonin obtained 12 (38.7%) while the normal 19 (61.3%). In the Chi-Square test, the PR value was 3.4 (95% CI: 1.61-7.30) with p value = 0.004. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is a relationship between GBS infection and serum procalcitonin levels, where positive GBS infection is a risk factor that increases the occurrence of high serum procalcitonin levels in preterm labor.