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TUBERCULOSIS: MATERNAL INFECTION OF THE NEWBORN
Author(s) -
Blackall Pamela B.
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1969.tb107597.x
Subject(s) - tuberculosis , medicine , pregnancy , environmental health , virology , pediatrics , immunology , biology , pathology , genetics
Nine hundred and forty‐two case histories were reviewed from a total of 2713 women aged between 15 and 50 years who were officially notified as having active tuberculosis. In 100 cases, there was a record of associated pregnancy in the year of notification, with the fate of the baby in serious doubt in only six; three of these infants remained free of infection. The three cases presented are those in which disseminated tuberculosis in the mother led to infection in the neonate. Case 1 meets the criteria for congenital tuberculosis. Case 2 exemplifies the rare primary infection of the middle ear. In Case 3, with primary infection of the right lung, the mode of transmission is uncertain. Theories as to the possibility of a protective mechanism to account for the infrequency of this condition are examined in the light of recent advances in fœtal and neonatal physiology. Curettage for the diagnosis of post‐natal endometrial tuberculosis may give more information, if several specimens labelled as being from certain sites were sent to the pathologist.