Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) may spread by aerosol when an adult with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) coughs. Ninety percent of newly infected adults never develop disease; in the other 10%, TB most commonly manifests as lung disease. Infants and young children appear…
Lyme Disease Lyme disease, caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most common vector-borne illness in the United States. Although, in retrospect, a form of the illness had been recognized in Scandinavia in the early 1900s, modern awareness of…
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by infection with the bacterium Treponema pallidum . Congenital syphilis results when the infection is transmitted from a pregnant mother to her fetus. Syphilis has been known for a long time to cause…
Infections of the fetus and newborn infant caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae are restricted primarily to mucosal surfaces of the newborn infant, although scalp abscess and systemic infections, including bacteremia, meningitis, and septic arthritis, can occasionally occur. The most common condition…
Acknowledgment The authors are indebted to Rachel C. Orscheln, Henry R. Shinefield, and Joseph W. St. Geme III, whose previous contributions to this chapter and clinical images provided the strong baseline framework and inspiration for the current version. Staphylococcal disease…
Listeria monocytogenes is a serious and sometimes lethal pathogen, especially for pregnant women and their fetuses, the newborn, and for older adults and immunocompromised individuals. The pathogen was first described in 1926 by Murray and colleagues during an investigation of…
Lancefield group B β-hemolytic streptococci were first recorded as a cause of human infection in 1938, when Fry described three patients with fatal puerperal sepsis. Sporadic cases were reported until the 1970s, when a dramatic increase in the incidence of…
Diarrheal disease continues to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide in the 21st century. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates about 2 billion cases and 1.9 million deaths yearly by acute diarrhea in children younger…
Infections of the Liver Bacterial infection of the hepatic parenchyma frequently is recognized as multiple, small inflammatory foci (hepatic microabscesses) observed as an incidental finding in infants dying with sepsis. Diffuse hepatocellular damage, often in conjunction with infection of several…
In 1918, Helmholz recognized the cryptogenic nature and underdiagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) in the newborn. His observations still hold true today. There are no specific signs of UTI in a newborn; the clinical presentation can vary, ranging from…