Infertility, in vitro fertilization and congenital tuberculosis

Abstract

Congenital tuberculosis (CTB) due to maternal genitourinary (GU) TB infection is a rare occurrence, as infection of the genital tract in women generally leads to infertility. Increasing availability of assisted reproductive technology creates the potential for CTB to emerge as a significant problem. We describe five infants (two sets of twins and a singleton birth) conceived by in vitro fertilization who developed CTB. All five infants were born to mothers who had immigrated to the United States from India and none had GU TB diagnosed before the birth of their infected infants.