Careless use of a broad-spectrum antibiotic in the 1950s created a "hyper-virulent" strain of germ that worsened risks for newborn babies, according to detective work by French-led gene scientists. Today's strain of Streptococcus agalactiae results from massive over-use of tetracycline in the post-World War II antibiotics boom, they reported in the journal Nature Communications on Monday. Strains of the microbe that were sensitive to tetracycline were wiped out, leaving behind a dominant, resistant superstrain that is dangerous for newborn babies without careful preventive care. Called Group B Strep (GBS), infection can lead to potentially fatal pneumonia, meningitis and blood infection.
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