What Is Beta Hemolytic Strep?
Beta hemolytic strep is a type of bacteria found in intestines or around genitals. Beta hemolytic strep may not cause any visible symptoms, but in newborns, pregnant women, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems, it may cause illness.CausesAlthough doctors do not fully understand how people become hosts to beta hemolytic strep, the bacterium is not spread through sexual contact or through food or water, according to the Mayo Clinic. If a mother carries beta hemolytic strep, the newborn may become infected during a vaginal delivery.SymptomsIn adults, beta hemolytic strep may cause urinary tract infections or more serious illnesses like pneumonia or bacteremia, a blood infection. Newborns may develop fever, difficulty breathing and lack of appetite within the first 12 hours of life, or more severe symptoms like upper respiratory tract infections or seizures later, according to the Mayo Clinic.DiagnosisTo diagnose beta hemolytic strep infections, doctors typically rely on
