Group B beta-hemolytic streptococci analysis of 242 isolations.

Group B beta-hemolytic streptococci (GBS) were isolated from 242 patients at Howard University Hospital during a seven-month period. The source of the majority, 236, was the genital tract of women. In six instances, the organism was cultured from various sites in neonates born of mothers harboring GBS in their birth canals. All of the patients were black. The study indicates that the frequency of colonization of the genital tract by GBS in black females is higher than that reported for white women. Although the sample is small, there appears to be a correlation between genital tract colonization of GBS in mothers and colonization in their affected newborns.