Perinatal Infections

A concise clinical reference that facilitates the diagnosis of intrauterine and perinatally acquired infections was the goal in creating the Congenital and Perinatal Infections: A Concise Guide to Diagnosis. Information about the natural history, m- agement, and outcome of these infections is well detailed in many other sources and so has not been included. Rather, the focus of the book is diagnosis. The initial chapters provide general information about serological and nonserological assays that are used for the diagnosis of infections, and a chapter about the placenta includes details about histopathological findings that can be helpful with the diagnosis of congenital inf- tions. The remainder of the book is devoted to the diagnosis of specific congenital and/ or perinatal infections. As illustrated in the chapters about specific infections, the approach to diagnosis of a congenital or perinatally acquired infection in the neonate begins, when possible, with consideration and diagnosis of infection in the pregnant woman, knowledge of how the infection is transmitted, and the risk of that infection for the woman and her fetus or neonate. The possibility of congenital or perinatal infection in neonates is usually considered because of the diagnosis of, or concern about a s- cific infection in, a mother during pregnancy that can be transmitted to the neonate or because of clinical findings in the neonate at birth that suggest an infectious cause.

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A concise, accessible and essential guide to the diagnosis, management and prevention of perinatal infections.

In this issue the Guest Editors provide a contemporary look at the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, treatment and outcomes for neonatal-perinatal infections. Contributors include neonatologists, infectious disease, and critical care specialists with a wide variety of research interests in this arena. Readers will be exposed to the latest information on dosing of antibiotics, antivirals, and antifungals. This information is critical in the infant population given the rapid changes in physiology, metabolic pathways and renal elimination that occur over the first months of life. There is an extensive examination of infectious processes that commonly present in infants including meningitis, bloodstream infections, and urinary tract infections. Additional topics include infectious processes affecting the newborn (chorioamnionitis and TORCH infections) and premature infants (necrotizing enterocolitis). Specific pathogens are highlighted in articles on HSV, CMV/VZV, staphylococcal species, and Candida. Finally, the rationale for the most recent changes to guidelines for initiating therapy for early-onset neonatal sepsis are reviewed.

CONGENITAL AND PERINATAL INFECTIONS provides a concise and clinically-oriented primer on the congenital and perinatal infections likely to present in clinical practice. Written with the busy clinician in mind, it combines easy accessibility with state-of-the-art information on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of congenital and perinatal infections. Eschewing the notion that congenital and perinatal infections only encompass agents from the TORCH group of pathogens, this volume offers comprehensive information on the spectrum of viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections that can manifest in mother or child. Combined with its brevity and emphasis on clinical management, CONGENITAL AND PERINATAL INFECTIONS is a definitive new guide to understanding this challenging group of infections.

Provides a comprehensive review of obstetric and perinatal infections. The contributors offer coverage of the latest and important treatments for group B streptococcal infections, pneumonia, mastitis, perinatal chlamydia infections, tuberculosis, AIDS, and more.