Overall Principles Vaccination has been the most effective medical intervention in the modern era. Historically, the focus on vaccine development and implementation programs has been on preventing infectious diseases during infancy and early childhood. The current vaccine schedule for early…
Effective antimicrobial treatment typically begins with empirical therapy at a dose that is most likely to cure the infection with the minimal risk of toxic effects. To select the correct dosage, clinicians need to understand and apply the principles of…
For years, investigators have sought a test or panel of tests able to diagnose neonatal sepsis accurately and more rapidly than is possible with the recovery of microorganisms from specimens of sterile body fluids or tissues. Although results of some…
Neonates, especially premature neonates who require intensive medical care, are among the patients at highest risk for nosocomial or health care–associated infections (HAIs). Although the rate of HAIs varies with the specific patient population and institution, many institutions have achieved…
Fungal infections, other than those caused by Candida spp., rarely are considered in the differential diagnosis for an acutely ill newborn infant because disorders of bacterial and viral etiology are vastly more common. Nevertheless, fungal infections do occur in neonates,…
Candida species are important pathogens in the neonate. After a significant increase in the incidence of systemic candidiasis in neonatal intensive care (NICU) patients in the late 1990s, since 2000 the incidence has remained stable or even decreased slightly. However,…
Parasitic infections are highly prevalent in many developing areas of the world and are common among pregnant women in developed countries. They may exacerbate maternal and fetal anemia, and contribute to low birth weight and poor infant survival. The placenta…
Toxoplasma gondii is a worldwide, intracellular protozoan parasite that can infect humans and almost all warm-blooded animals. Among the fetal and neonatal pathogens, T. gondii is certainly one of the most: ▪ Widespread, because it affects one third of the…
Human Papillomavirus Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are the most common cause of sexually transmitted infection in the United States, with approximately 14 million new infections annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These DNA viruses are the…
∗ Drs. Louis Cooper and Charles Alford, Jr., previously contributed to this chapter. § References . ‖ References . The impact of rubella virus infection and the progress made toward controlling congenital rubella infection have been well chronicled. Rubella was…