Which newborn complications can result from GBS transmission during delivery?

• A. Jaundice only
• B. Sepsis, pneumonia, meningitis
• C. Hypoglycemia
• D. Meconium aspiration

Answer: (B)

When a newborn is exposed to GBS during delivery, the bacteria can cause early-onset disease that spreads through the body. The classic complications are sepsis (a systemic infection), pneumonia (lung involvement), and meningitis (infection of the brain and spinal cord). These are the hallmark presentations of neonatal GBS disease in the first days of life and reflect how the bacteria can invade the bloodstream and central nervous system.

Jaundice can occur in many newborns for reasons unrelated to GBS, such as immature liver function or blood group incompatibilities, so it isn’t a specific consequence of GBS transmission. Hypoglycemia has metabolic or maternal-factor causes rather than a direct link to GBS. Meconium aspiration relates to fetal distress and meconium in the amniotic fluid, not to GBS infection.