MATERNAL

INFECTIONS
MATERNAL INFECTION

• Is an infection acquired by the mother who then transmits

the infection to the fetus.
• This transmission can occur via the placenta before
delivery or via the birth canal during labor and delivery
when the newborn is exposed to maternal blood. It is one
of the common factors leading to birth injuries or defects.
MATERNAL INFECTION

• Is an infection acquired by the mother who then transmits

the infection to the fetus.
• This transmission can occur via the placenta before
delivery or via the birth canal during labor and delivery
when the newborn is exposed to maternal blood. It is one
of the common factors leading to birth injuries or defects.
 COMMON MATERNAL INFECTIONS
1. SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED
INFECTIONS
oHERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS Signs & Symptoms:
(GENITAL HERPES
INFECTION): The virus spreads
• localized tingling
into the bloodstream (viremia) and • itching or burning
crosses the placenta to a fetus
posing substantial fetal risk.
• eye infections
 TREATMENT:
Intravenous or oral acyclovir (Zovirax)
can be administered to women during
pregnancy. The primary mechanism for
protecting a fetus, however, focuses on
disease prevention. Urging women to
practice safe sex is important to lessen
their exposure to this and other sexually
transmitted infections.
 COMMON MATERNAL INFECTIONS
oHUMAN
IMMUNODEFICIENCY
VIRUS (HIV): The virus that
causes acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome
(AIDS). During pregnancy, HIV
can pass through
the placenta and infect the fetus.
 TREATMENT:
During pregnancy has two goals: to
protect the health of the woman, and to
help prevent passing HIV to the fetus.
Many combinations of drugs are used to
manage HIV infection. This is called a
"drug regimen."
COMMON MATERNAL INFECTIONS
o HEPATITS B: It refers to inflammation of the
liver caused by the hepatitis B virus. Hepatitis
B infection is caused by the hepatitis B virus
(HBV). The virus is passed from person to
person through blood, semen or other body
fluids. It does not spread by sneezing or
coughing.
 Signs & Symptoms:
• abdominal pain
oHEPATITS B: Sexual contact. • dark urine
Pregnant woman may get hepatitis B if • fever
she have unprotected sex with someone • joint pain
who is infected. The virus can pass if the • loss of appetite
person's blood, saliva, semen or vaginal • nausea and vomiting
secretions enters the body. Mother to • weakness and fatigue
child. Pregnant women infected with • yellowing of the skin and
HBV can pass the virus to their babies whites of the eyes (jaundice)
during childbirth.
 TREATMENT:
• All women who are diagnosed with
hepatitis B in pregnancy should be
referred for follow up care with a
physician skilled at managing hepatitis
B infection. Physician should perform
additional laboratory testing, including
hepatitis B e-antigen, HBV DNA level,
and liver function tests (ALT).
 COMMON MATERNAL INFECTIONS
2. VIRAL INFECTIONS
oRUBELLA: This virus usually
causes only a mild rash and mild
systemic illness in a woman, but
the teratogenic effects on a fetus
can be devastating (Johnson &
Ross, 2007).
TREATMENT:
A rubella titer from a pregnant woman is obtained
on the first prenatal visit. A titer greater than 1:8
suggests that a woman is susceptible to viral
invasion. A woman who is not immunized before
pregnancy cannot be immunized during pregnancy
because the vaccine uses a live virus that would
have effects similar to those occurring with a
subclinical case of rubella. After a rubella
immunization, a woman is advised not to become
pregnant for 3 months, until the rubella virus is no
longer active.
 COMMON MATERNAL INFECTIONS
o CYTOMEGALOVIRUS (CMV): If a woman acquires a
primary CMV infection during pregnancy and the virus crosses
the placenta, the infant may be born severely neurologically
challenged (hydrocephalus, microcephaly, spasticity) or with
eye damage (optic atrophy, chorioretinitis), hearing impairment,
or chronic liver disease. The child’s skin may be covered with
large petechiae (“blueberry-muffin” lesions). It is transmitted
from person to person by droplet infection such as occurs with
sneezing.
Signs & Symptoms: TREATMENT:
Unfortunately, there is no treatment for the
A woman has almost no infection even if it presents in the mother
symptoms, she may not with enough symptoms to allow detection.
be aware that she has Because there is no treatment or vaccine for
contracted an infection. the disease, routine screening for CMV
during pregnancy is not recommended.
Women can help prevent exposure by
thorough handwashing before eating and
avoiding crowds of young children at
daycare or nursery settings.
LET US WASH
HANDS!
 COMMON MATERNAL INFECTIONS
3. BACTERIAL INFECTIONS
oGROUP B STREPTOCOCCUS: It can be
found in the digestive tract, urinary tract,
and genital area of adults. About 1 in 4
pregnant women have GBS in their rectum
or vagina. During pregnancy, the mother
can pass GBS to the baby. A baby can get it
from the mother's genital tract during birth.
 Newborns are more likely to get Group B Strep
Infection if the mother has:
• Preterm labor
• Early breaking of water (rupture of membranes)
• A long time between rupture of membranes and birth
• Internal fetal monitoring during labor
• Fever
• A past pregnancy with a baby who had group B strep
Signs & Symptoms:
Pregnant women may have group B strep without symptoms but
when they have symptoms, these may include: (put picture)
• Having to urinate often, having an urge to go, or pain when
urinating
• Fever
• Nausea and vomiting
• Pain in your side or back
• Uterus or belly is sore
• Fast heart rate
 TREATMENT:
• All pregnant women should be
tested for group B strep as a
part of routine prenatal care. In
late pregnancy, the healthcare
provider can test for GBS by
taking a swab of a vagina and
rectum during a pelvic exam.
TREATMENT:
• Women can also test your urine for GBS. The swab or urine
is sent to a lab to grow the bacteria. Tests are usually done
between 35 and 37 weeks of pregnancy. The results may take
a few days. A woman who has GBS may test positive at
certain times and not at others. If it tests positive for GBS
during pregnancy, a woman will get intravenous (IV)
antibiotics during labor. This lowers the risk that the baby
will get the infection.
NOTE: Penicillin is the most common antibiotic given. If
not been diagnosed with GBS, a woman may be given
antibiotics before labor and birth.
 COMMON MATERNAL INFECTIONS
oTOXOPLASMOSIS: A protozoan
infection caused by Toxoplasma
gondii, a single-celled parasite is
spread most commonly through
contact with uncooked meat,
although it may also be contracted
through handling cat stool in soil.
Signs & Symptoms:
A woman experiences almost no symptoms of
the disease except for a few days of malaise and
posterior cervical lymphadenopathy. Even in
light of these mild symptoms, if the infection
crosses the placenta, the infant may be born with
central nervous system damage, hydrocephalus,
microcephaly, intracerebral calcification, and
retinal deformities.
TREATMENT:
• If the diagnosis is established
by serum analysis during
pregnancy, therapy with
sulfonamides may be
prescribed.
 COMMON MATERNAL INFECTIONS
CHORIOAMNIONITIS: The condition
occurs when bacteria infect the chorion, Signs & Symptoms:
amnion, and amniotic fluid around the fetus. • rash
It can lead to a preterm birth or serious
• glands on the neck may
infection in the mother and the baby. . It’s
swell up
most commonly seen in preterm births; it’s
also seen in approximately 2 to 4 percent of • sickness may last for 3
full-term deliveries. days
TREATMENT:
Maternal antibiotics for chorioamnionitis. The
standard drug treatment in the mother with
chorioamnionitis includes ampicillin and an
aminoglycoside (usually gentamicin), although
clindamycin may be added for anaerobic
pathogens. These antibiotics should be given
intravenously. An absolute contraindication to
using these antibiotics is known as allergic
reaction.