perinatal infections Flashcards
what is the difference between intrauterine infections and perinatal infections?
intrauterine=infection acquired/carried by the mother and transmitted to the developing fetus
whereas perinatal infections occur around the time of delivery
when do we worry about chickenpox in pregnancy?
- severe maternal varicella during pregnancy causing maternal pneumonia!!
- infection in the 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy–> congenital varicella syndrome
- perinatal infection around delivery
what are some complications of influenza in pregnancy?
primary viral pneumonitis
and secondary bacterial pneumonia
premature birth
what is the leading cause of neonatal sepsis?
GBS (group b strep)
how might a baby be colonised by GBS?
ascending infection
colonised during delivery (vertical transmission)
what is the clinical presentation of early onset GBS disease as compared to late onset GBS infection?
pneumonia, septicaemia and less commonly meninigitis in early onset GBS
meningitis and septicaemia much more prevalent in late onset GBS
which antibiotic do we use for maternal prophylaxis of GBS infection?
benzylpenicillin
or if there is an allergy to penicillin you can try clindamycin, vancomycin or cefazolin
what are the maternal risk factors for EOS GBS?
Preterm labour Early rupture of membranes Maternal fever Clinical diagnosis of choriamnionitis A previous infant with GBS GBS bacteriuria during current pregnancy
when do we do GBS screening during pregnancy and how?
35-37 weeks gestation
via vaginal and anal swabs
when do we give prophylactic intrapartum antibiotics for GBS for a high risk pregnancy?
4 hrs prior to delivery and every 4 hrly until delivery
what antibiotics do we use for neonates with GBS sepsis?
benzylpenicillin + gentamicin
how might hep b be transmitted to infants?
vertically (mum to baby during delivery) and horizontally
if you have a pregnant lady with surface antigen positivity for hep B and high viral load (eAg positive), what is the risk of vertical transmission of hep B? How might we reduce this risk?
Treat mother with lamivudine during pregnancy to reduce viral load
90% risk of vertical transmission
Hep B vaccine ( then at 2,4,6months) and HBIG at birth
give Aciclovir to the mother
how might we prevent vertical transmission of hep B
Hep B vaccine and immunoglobulin within 12 hrs post birth
the baby then receives HBV vaccine at 2, 4, 6 months according to the routine immunisation schedule
Check the baby’s serology at 12 months
do we screen all pregnant women for hep C?
according to RANZCOG- we screen all pregnant women
However, the national hep C testing policy advises selective screening based on risk factors bc of the following reasons:
- very low prevalence rate of hep c in Australia
- increased false positivity rate
- treatment for HCV are contraindicated in women- no studies available regarding safety of anti-hep c antiviral agents
what are the adverse effects of parvovirus in patients with thalassaemia or sickle cell disease?
acute life threatening red cell aplasia