RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Presence of Group B Streptococcus in Raw and Dehydrated Placentas
JF American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
JO Clin Lab Sci
FD American Society of Chemistry and Laboratory Science
SP 60
OP 66
DO 10.29074/ascls.2020002584
VO 33
IS 4
A1 Belk, Melanie
A1 Irby, Ariana
A1 Bayhaghi, Giti
YR 2020
UL http://hwmaint.clsjournal.ascls.org/content/33/4/60.abstract
AB Placentophagy is a growing global practice, as many mothers choose to have their placenta encapsulated after giving birth for postpartum wellness. A case report of an infant infected at birth with group B Streptococcus (GBS) whose mother consumed her encapsulated placenta has left some medical professionals concerned about the safety of the practice for mothers who are vaginally colonized with GBS during pregnancy. The purpose of this study is to determine if GBS is present in the placentas of mothers who test with GBS-positive results and to determine if encapsulation inhibits the survival of GBS in placentas infected with the bacteria. Twelve placentas were collected from mothers who delivered vaginally after testing with positive results for GBS during pregnancy. The raw placentas were swabbed and cultured for GBS using selective GBS media. Placentas were then cut into 55 separate samples and 46 were manually infected with a 0.5 McFarland of GBS culture. Each sample was dehydrated to simulate the encapsulation process and the dried powder was tested for GBS. Of the 12 original placentas, 2 had GBS-positive results following birth. Of the 46 manually infected placentas, 32 had negative results for GBS after dehydration, suggesting a relative risk reduction of 0.6957 and an absolute risk reduction of 69.57%. It was concluded that the percentage of raw placentas infected from the birth process is inherently low, and the encapsulation process significantly decreases the presence of GBS in infected placentas.