Many adults carry group B strep in their bodies — usually in the bowel, vagina, rectum, bladder or throat — and have no signs or symptoms. In some cases, however, group B strep can cause a urinary tract infection or other more-serious infections.

How do I know if I have strep B?

You can have a swab test (known as the enriched culture medium or ECM test) to see whether you are carrying GBS when you are 35-37 weeks pregnant. If the result shows that you are still carrying GBS, the risk of your baby developing an infection is around 1 in 400.

Does Strep B go away on its own?

Early recognition and treatment is important to cure GBS infection in adults. High doses of antibiotics such as penicillin should be administered and the full course taken. Most GBS infection can be treated successfully, although some people will require all the expertise of intensive care facilities.