Group B streptococcal colonization: Prevalence and impact of smoking in women delivering term or near term neonates in a large tertiary care hospital in the southern United States

Background and hypothesis: The role of smoking as a risk factor for group B streptococcal (GBS) colonization in women during pregnancy has not been previously adequately explored. We hypothesized that women of term or near term neonates who smoked during pregnancy were more likely to have GBS colonization than their non-smoking counterparts. Methods: The electronic health records (EHRs) of a convenience sample of women delivering in an inner-city university tertiary care center were reviewed. The outcome variable of interest was maternal GBS colonization during pregnancy. The primary independent variable of interest was tobacco smoking during pregnancy, determined from the EHRs by the number of cigarettes smoked during gestation. Descriptive statistics were conducted and categorical data were compared by the Fischer’s exact test. Multiple logistic regression analysis was further conducted to determine the independent impact of tobacco smoke exposure on GBS colonization. Results: The prevalence of maternal GBS colonization was 35% among the study population. In the univariate analyses, factors associated with maternal GBS colonization were tobacco smoking during pregnancy (P of trend