Neonatal Varicella Infection

Carter, PatriciaE.; Duffty, P; Lloyd, DavidJ.

doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(86)92766-2

Cited by 21 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…2, Table 2). Prophylactic intravenous administration of aciclovir can prevent neonatal varicella or reduce the severity of the disease markedly [5]. Well-controlled studies on the use of aciclovir in newborns have not been reported to date [46].…”

Section: Therapeutic Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Herpes simplex and varicella-zoster virus infections during pregnancy: current concepts of prevention, diagnosis and therapy. Part 2: Varicella-zoster virus infections

Sauerbrei

Wutzler

2006

Med Microbiol Immunol

132

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Varicella during pregnancy can be associated with severe illnesses for both the mother and her neonate. Varicella pneumonia must be regarded as a medical emergency, since pregnant women are at risk of life-threatening ventilatory compromise and death. After maternal chickenpox in the first and second trimesters, congenital varicella syndrome may occur in nearly 2% of the cases. The characteristic symptoms consist of skin lesions in dermatomal distribution, neurological defects, eye diseases and skeletal anomalies. If the mother develops varicella rashes between day 4 (5) antepartum and day 2 postpartum, generalized neonatal varicella leading to death in about 20% of the cases has to be expected. Normal zoster has not been shown to be associated with maternal pneumonia, birth defects or problems in the perinatal period. On the basis of the clinical consequences of varicella-zoster virus infections during pregnancy, the present paper summarizes the currently available concepts of prevention, diagnosis and therapy.

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Section: Therapeutic Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Herpes simplex and varicella-zoster virus infections during pregnancy: current concepts of prevention, diagnosis and therapy. Part 2: Varicella-zoster virus infections

Sauerbrei

Wutzler

2006

Med Microbiol Immunol

132

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“…It is important to note that the use of acyclovir during pregnancy does not seem to increase the risk of fetal malformations, and that international registries show that the incidence of embryopathies in women treated during the first trimester of pregnancy is equal to that in the general population [16,269,[274][275][276][277] . Finally the use of acyclovir in infants with varicella can reduce the severity of the disease and the complications [153,259,278,279] . The are also a few case reports indicating that it can block the ophthalmic and neurological progression CVS in newborns [279,280] .…”

Section: Therapymentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbiology laboratory and the management of mother-child varicella-zoster virus infection

Paschale

Clerici

2016

WJV

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Varicella-zoster virus, which is responsible for varicella (chickenpox) and herpes zoster (shingles), is ubiquitous and causes an acute infection among children, especially those aged less than six years. As 90% of adults have had varicella in childhood, it is unusual to encounter an infected pregnant woman but, if the disease does appear, it can lead to complications for both the mother and fetus or newborn. The major maternal complications include pneumonia, which can lead to death if not treated. If the virus passes to the fetus, congenital varicella syndrome, neonatal varicella (particularly serious if maternal rash appears in the days immediately before or after childbirth) or herpes zoster in the early years of life may occur depending on the time of infection. A Microbiology laboratory can help in the diagnosis and management of mother-child infection at four main times: (1) when a pregnant woman has been exposed to varicella or herpes zoster, a prompt search for specific antibodies can determine whether she is susceptible to, or protected against infection; (2) when a pregnant woman develops clinical symptoms consistent with varicella, the diagnosis is usually clinical, but a laboratory can be crucial if the symptoms are doubtful or otherwise unclear (atypical patterns in immunocompromised subjects, patients with post-vaccination varicella, or subjects who have received immunoglobulins), or if there is a need for a differential diagnosis between varicella and other types of dermatoses with vesicle formation; (3) when a prenatal diagnosis of uterine infection is required in order to detect cases of congenital varicella syndrome after the onset of varicella in the mother; and (4) when the baby is born and it is necessary to confirm a diagnosis of varicella (and its complications), make a differential diagnosis between varicella and other diseases with similar symptoms, or confirm a causal relationship between maternal varicella and malformations in a newborn. Core tip: Although varicella during pregnancy is infrequent and congenital varicella syndrome (CVS) is rare, every available means should be used to prevent and diagnose them. Microbiology laboratories can be crucial in these situations: Evaluating a mother's immune status with sensitive and specific tests for the detection of antibodies; allowing a rapid diagnosis with molecular biology tests when a clinical manifestation may be due to different etiologies; following pregnant women with varicella for the prenatal diagnosis of CVS with close collaboration between molecular biology investigators and specialists in imaging diagnostics.De Paschale M, Clerici P. Microbiology laboratory and the management of mother-child varicella-zoster virus infection. World

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“…Prophylactic intravenous administration of aciclovir can prevent neonatal varicella or can reduce the severity of the disease markedly [68]. Well-controlled studies on the use of aciclovir in neonates have not been reported to date [59].…”

Section: Therapeutic Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of varicella-zoster virus infections in pregnant women and neonates

Sauerbrei¹

2010

Health

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Even though varicella is rare in pregnancy, the disease can lead occasionally to disastrous illnesses for both the mother and her neonate. By contrast, normal zoster is not associated with special problems during pregnancy and perinatal period. Pregnant women, who contract varicella, are at risk of varicella pneumonia which must be regarded as medical emergency. At any stage during pregnancy, chickenpox may cause intrauterine infection. The consequences for the fetus depend on the time of maternal disease. During the first two trimesters, maternal varicella may result in congenital varicella syndrome which may occur in nearly 2%. Typical symptoms are skin lesions in dermatomal distribution, neurological defects, eye diseases, and skeletal anomalies. Maternal infection near term is associated with a substantial risk of intrauterine acquired neonatal chickenpox in the neonate. If the mother develops varicella rash between day 4 (5) ante partum and day 2 post partum, generalized neonatal varicella leading to death in about 20% of the cases has to be expected. The present paper reviews the clinical consequences and the currently available concepts of prevention, diagnosis, and therapy of varicella-zoster virus infections during pregnancy.

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Neonatal Varicella Infection

Cited by 21 publications

References 2 publications

Herpes simplex and varicella-zoster virus infections during pregnancy: current concepts of prevention, diagnosis and therapy. Part 2: Varicella-zoster virus infections

Herpes simplex and varicella-zoster virus infections during pregnancy: current concepts of prevention, diagnosis and therapy. Part 2: Varicella-zoster virus infections

Microbiology laboratory and the management of mother-child varicella-zoster virus infection

Review of varicella-zoster virus infections in pregnant women and neonates

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