[Carriage of Streptococcus B in the mother and infant pair at birth. Apropos of 106 cases].

Streptococcus of group B found in the upper respiratory tract, the genito-urinary tract and the intestines of humans and animals is responsible for peri- and neonatal infections with serious outcomes: septicemia, meningitis. In Togo, the high frequency of neo-natal infections brought us to question the importance of streptococcus B in the mother-child couple at birth and to undertake a study conducted simultaneously in two maternities in the city of Lomé. During 8 weeks, from 19 March-19 May we studied 100 mother-child couples and 300 placentas. The following laboratory samples were taken: from the mother a vaginal smear during labor at 5 cm dilatation and rectal swabbing, from the new-born, a swabbing of the outer ear canal and an aspiration of gastric liquid, a fragment of the placenta taken under conditions of surgical asepsis. The results obtained prove that streptococcus B play an important role in the mother-child couple in Togo. The authors propose that more systematic research be conducted on children at birth with regard to this issue.