KEY POINTS 1. Fungal infections including invasive Candida infections and molds (aspergillosis and mucormycosis) are devastating infections most commonly complicating extreme preterm infants due to their underdeveloped immune system combined with the need for intensive care and any neonate with…
KEY POINTS 1. Congenital syphilis is a global public health problem, particularly in the Americas where its incidence appears to be rising. 2. At birth 90% of infants are asymptomatic, the remaining 10% present a wide variety of symptoms from…
KEY POINTS 1. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is acquired in the postnatal period primarily from mother’s milk feeding. 2. Postnatal CMV (pCMV) infection is usually asymptomatic in healthy term infants. Among very low birth weight (VLBW, birth weight <1500 g) infants,…
KEY POINTS 1. Neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections can cause potentially devastating infections in newborn infants. 2. HSV has a double-stranded linear DNA genome and is seen in two variants, HSV-type 1 and HSV-type 2. 3. Neonatal HSV infections…
KEY POINTS 1. Late-onset sepsis in the neonatal intensive care unit is defined by culture-confirmed infection ≥72 hours after birth. 2. Incidence is highest among preterm infants. 3. The pathophysiology involves colonization with perinatally and/or hospital-acquired organisms, with transition to…
KEY POINTS 1. Early-onset sepsis (EOS) is defined by blood and/or cerebrospinal fluid culture-confirmed infection occurring 0 to 6 days after birth. 2. Incidence is highest among preterm infants, particularly those born with low gestational ages and with birth weight…
KEY POINTS 1. Disorders of sex development (DSD) is an umbrella term referring to the large collection of conditions in which establishment of chromosomal, gonadal, or anatomic sex development is atypical. 2. Estimates of the prevalence of DSD vary widely,…
KEY POINTS 1. Disorders of mineral homeostasis in the neonatal period are often exaggerated responses to the normal physiologic transition. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is the principal regulator of postnatal calcium metabolism, with vitamin D and its metabolites involved in the…
KEY POINTS 1. Normal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis production of cortisol and a normal renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis are needed for the normal regulation of volume status, blood pressure, and serum sodium, potassium and glucose levels in the neonate. Disorders of these axes…
KEY POINTS 1. Thyroid hormone signaling is required for both normal fetal and pediatric development. 2. The identification of genes critical for thyroid gland development and migration and thyroid hormone metabolism, transport, and receptor function has revealed that derangement of…