Is It Just Water Under the Bridge? An Eight-Day-Old With Late-Onset Group B Streptococcal Infection After Water Birth

Abstract

Group B Streptococcus (Streptococcus agalactiae or GBS) infections are known as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the neonatal population. The role of water birth in colonizing and transmitting GBS between mother and infant is unclear. We present a case of an exclusively breastfed full- term infant, born via water birth, to a GBS-negative woman who developed GBS mastitis. The infant presented with severe, late-onset GBS meningitis/septic shock and subsequently developed fatal necrotizing enterocolitis. Literature regarding the potential role of water birth in GBS transmission is reviewed.