Neurologic infections during pregnancy

Neurologic infections during pregnancy represent a significant cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Immunologic alterations during pregnancy increase the susceptibility of the premature brain to damage. This chapter summarizes the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical manifestations in the pregnant woman and the infant, and the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of the major viral, parasitic, and bacterial infections known to affect pregnancy. These organisms include herpes virus, parvovirus, cytomegalovirus, varicella, rubella, Zika virus, toxoplasmosis, malaria, group B streptococcus, listeriosis, syphilis, and tuberculosis. There is an emphasis on the important differences in diagnosis, treatment, and fetal outcome between trimesters. An additional overview is provided on the spectrum of neurologic sequelae of an affected infant, which ranges from developmental delay to hydrocephalus and seizures.