SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATION
The prevalence of GBS colonization was rather high among the study population. This is one of the few studies to clearly determine that smoking during pregnancy is an independent predictor of GBS colonization in women of term or near term neonates. GBS colonization was highest among the youngest mothers and tended to decrease with age especially among non-smoking mothers. This is another reason why women should be counseled to stop smoking if they are pregnant in order to avoid risking their newborn from developing GBS disease.