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Review
. 2023 Jul 22;28(5):307-323.
doi: 10.1093/pch/pxad014. eCollection 2023 Aug.

Reducing perinatal infection risk in newborns of mothers who received inadequate prenatal care

[Article in English, English]
Ari Bitnun  1 , Laura Sauvé  1 , Sergio Fanella  1
Affiliations
Review

Reducing perinatal infection risk in newborns of mothers who received inadequate prenatal care

[Article in English, English]
Ari Bitnun et al. Paediatr Child Health. .

Abstract

Inadequate prenatal care increases risk for maternal infections going undetected and untreated, putting both the mother's health and that of her infant at risk. When pregnant women present late to care, routine testing that impacts infant management should include: hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg); serology for hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and syphilis; and testing for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. If the mother was not tested before or after delivery and is not available for testing, the infant should undergo testing for HIV, HBV, HCV, and syphilis. Testing for C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae should be undertaken if the infant develops compatible clinical manifestations. Rapid turnaround of test results for HIV, HBV, and syphilis is optimal because preventive treatment decisions are time-sensitive. Early and effective preventive interventions are available for newborns at risk for HIV, HBV, syphilis, or gonorrhea. Close clinical follow-up and follow-up testing of infants born to mothers with inadequate prenatal care are warranted, as not all infections can be fully excluded perinatally.

Keywords: Chlamydia; Gonorrhea; HIV; Hepatitis B; Hepatitis C; Newborn; Prenatal care; Syphilis.

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Conflict of interest statement

SF is a member of the provincial vaccine committee for Manitoba Health (PVAC), which is a volunteer position and is the paediatric co-principal investigator for Manitoba for a GSK clinical trial looking at maternal RSV vaccine in pregnancy. There are no other disclosures.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
HIV-related testing and management.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Infant HBV-related management when the mother is available for testing *.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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