Neonatal Medicine News

Active surveillance for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, or ESBL-E, was able to identify most infants who were colonized or infected in a level 4 neonatal ICU, according to research published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. However, researchers suggest this strategy to reduce transmission may not be cost-effective.

A committee that advises WHO on global immunization policy said there is insufficient evidence to recommend giving pregnant women an experimental Ebola virus vaccine — a timely issue given the ongoing deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Paid family leave may increase the rate of breastfeeding in states where more supportive laws are enacted, but middle- and high-income women may benefit most from these policies, according to research published in the American Journal of Public Health. Researchers said that these policies might not be adequate for low-income women.

When comparing chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine as intermittent therapy for the treatment of malaria in pregnant women — in a setting of high resistance to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine — intermittent chloroquine did not provide improved protection from malaria and related adverse events, but chloroquine as prophylaxis may offer protection and its use warrants further study, according to finding published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Children with autism spectrum disorder had the highest occurrence of rapid weight gain during the first 6 months of life, putting these children at greater risk for obesity, according to findings recently published in Autism.

Maternal immunization with Tdap during pregnancy can provide neonates with higher levels of pertussis toxin antibodies, which protect them from infection, according to research published in JAMA. Researchers said that infants received the highest concentrations of these antibodies when mothers were vaccinated early in the third trimester.

Inclusion of pregnant women in live vaccine trials is an ethical imperative.

Previous studies have demonstrated the benefits of breastfeeding on the infant gut. However, research published in mSphere suggests that infants with a high level of Bifidobacterium, a bacterium commonly seen in the breastfed infant microbiome, may also be protected from several antimicrobial-resistant infections.

SAN FRANCISCO — A respiratory syncytial virus F nanoparticle vaccine was immunogenic in pregnant women and elicited antibodies that were transferred efficiently through the placenta to infants, according to research presented at IDWeek. The results have led to a landmark, ongoing phase 3 study, according to researchers.

SAN FRANCISCO — During pregnancy, most women living with HIV who are on treatment achieve viral suppression, but many experience a viral load rebound after pregnancy, according to preliminary study findings presented at IDWeek. In addition, the study showed a higher risk for preterm birth associated with protease inhibitor use in the first trimester, researchers said.