]> 2026-07-31T14:08:25+00:00 WBR0154 0 en HIV HIV infection in newborns may be transmitted from infected mothers who have significant viral load. Untreated newborns usually have a less acute presentation and develop recurrent opportunistic infections. Syphilis Cytomegalovirus Gestational diabetes mellitus HSV-2 Herpes simplex virus (HSV2) transmission often occurs during the peripartum period. Herpes infection may cause a vesicular rash and temporal lobe encephalitis that results in seizures and high-grade fever. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis is a serious life-threatening complication of neonatal HSV infection that may result in irreversible neurologic sequelae. While neonatal HSV may be transmitted in the intrauterine, peripartum, and the postpartum periods, the majority of transmissions occur in the peripartum period from a mother with active HSV genital lesions during delivery. Infants with CNS HSV present with seizures, tremors, lethargy, and irritability. On physical examination, patients often have high-grade fever and bulging fontanelles. The majority of patients also have an active vesicular HSV rash during the course of the CNS disease. On imaging, neonates with HSV encephalitis often have temporal lobe encephalitis or diffuse encephalitis. The disease is suspected based on clinical manifestations and imaging. Unlike other HSV infections, serology is not very helpful to diagnose neonatal HSV infection given the presence of transplacentally acquired maternal IgG. PCR or viral culture are useful diagnostic techniques to confirm clinical suspicion. HSV encephalitis requires antiviral therapy with acyclovir HSV-1 and HSV-2 are 2 of 8 human herpesviruses. They are large, enveloped double-stranded DNA viruses with an icosahedral capsid. While labial herpes is almost always caused by HSV-1, genital herpes may be caused by either HSV-1 or HSV-2. HSV is also one of the ToRCHHeS infections, which are infections that can be transmitted vertically from the mother to the infant during pregnancy. The infections corresponding with the ToRCHHeS are: ''Toxoplasma gondii'', Rubella virus, cytomegalovirus, Herpes, HIV, and syphilis.<br/> '''Educational Objective:''' Neonatal encephalitis may be caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV). HSV transmission often occurs during the peripartum period from a pregnant woman who has active genital lesions. Herpes infection may cause a vesicular rash and temporal lobe encephalitis that results in seizures and high-grade fever.<br/> '''References:''' Kimberlin DW. Neonatal herpes simplex infection. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2004;17(1):1-13.<br> First Aid 2014 page 174 Microbiology A 36-year-old gravida-2 para-2 woman, with a past medical history of hypertension, obesity, and diabetes mellitus, brings her son to the emergency department for increasing irritability, fever, and a rash. The mother explains she gave birth to her infant 3 weeks ago in a foreign country. She reports that she had painful genital lesions during delivery but were left untreated. Shortly after admission, the child develops a seizure. An MRI of the brain reveals a right temporal lobe infiltrate. Which of the following is most likely responsible for this patient's condition? E Reproductive 2020-10-27T23:31:18Z 2459150.4800694 WBR0154