Background: Meningitis is an infection of the meninges, characterized by an onset of fever, headache, neck stiffness, and photophobia over a period of hours to days. In Ethiopia, meningitis due to an infectious agent is among the top ten causes of death among infants. The rate of maternal and neonatal Group B streptococcus (GBS) colonization is high that contribute to acquisition of meningitis. However, there is study gap to rule out GBS meningitis in Ethiopia where its magnitude is unknown. Therefore, this study was aimed to determine the magnitude of GBS in infants with suspected meningitis.

Methods: Hospital based cross sectional study design was implemented for identification of GBS in infants with suspected meningitis at Tikur Anbessa specialized hospital by using PCR targeting cfb gene encoding the Christie-Atkinson-Munch-Peterson factor (CAMP) from June 2018 to October 2018.

Results: Among 72 infants with suspected meningitis in Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, the magnitude of GBS was 63.9 % (46/72). Out of the 46 GBS positive infants, 10.9% (n=5) of them died. The late onset of GBS (LOGBS) disease was noted to have poor outcome with 3 LOGBS out of 5 GBS positive deaths occurred.

Conclusion and recommendations: The cfb gene targeted PCR contributes a lot for identification of GBS in culture negative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples and hence this more sensitive technique needs to be conducted at least at the referral hospitals.

Key words: Meningitis, GBS, infant, bacterial meningitis, Ethiopia