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Transmission of infections from mother to baby: What are the surprising facts behind it?
Neonatal infections are diseases that are contracted by babies before birth or within four weeks of birth. These infections may be spread by the mother through the placenta, the birth canal during delivery, or in the environment after birth. These infections may show symptoms immediately after birth or take several weeks to manifest. Certain neonatal infections, such as HIV, hepatitis B, and malaria, often do not show obvious symptoms until much later after birth.
Symptoms of neonatal infection include difficulty breathing, unstable body temperature, irritability, difficulty feeding, and skin rash.
According to research, risk factors for neonatal infection include early maternal infection, premature birth (less than 37 weeks of gestation), and premature rupture of amniotic membranes. These factors significantly increase the risk of neonatal sepsis because they allow bacteria to enter the uterus and affect the baby after leaving the mother's body. Although newborns who are premature or have low birth weight are more susceptible to infection, all newborns have the potential to develop infection.
Signs and symptoms of infection
Symptoms of neonatal infection often include difficulty breathing, unstable body temperature, irritability, failure to thrive, and skin rashes. In general, early-onset sepsis (occurring within 72 hours of birth) is usually caused by pathogens from the maternal genitourinary system. These pathogens can infect the baby through the placenta (orthogonal transmission) or during delivery. Late-onset sepsis is often transmitted by pathogens in the postpartum environment, particularly if an intravenous catheter or other invasive procedure is required.
Pathogens and related bacteria
Bacteria in the maternal intestine or genitourinary tract can cause neonatal infections. Such infections may manifest as fetal shock during delivery (such as tachycardia, unstable body temperature, or difficulty breathing), neonatal sepsis, or neonatal meningitis.
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is considered the leading cause of most early neonatal infections. G-Streptococcus usually lurks in the intestines and reproductive tract of pregnant women, and the mother usually has no obvious symptoms.
With the improvement of detection technology, the effectiveness of antibiotics in treating neonatal infections continues to improve, especially when the pathogen is quickly identified. In major industrialized countries, neonatal infections are usually treated in neonatal intensive care units (NICU).
The impact of viruses and fungi
Certain viruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and herpes simplex virus (HSV), can enter the newborn during delivery or during breastfeeding. In addition, systemic fungal infection is a serious nosocomial infection in very low birth weight neonates. The most common pathogen is Candida albicans, and these infections can lead to sepsis or meningitis, which can have serious consequences.
Risk factors and mechanisms
Premature newborns are at higher risk for infections, including critical complications such as sepsis and meningitis. Such infants often have immature immune systems and require longer hospitalizations and multiple invasive surgeries, all of which increase the chance of infection.
Inflammation accompanies infection, which may complicate the situation and affect recovery from treatment.
Scientists are currently actively researching preventive treatments for maternal infections, which will help reduce the risk of infection in newborns. The transmission of infection between newborns and mothers is a complex and subtle process, affected by many factors. So in this context, how should we look at the solution to this problem?
