International Clinical and Medical Case Reports Journal (ISSN: 2832-5788) | Volume 4, Issue 2 | Case report | Open Access DOI
Todd Thurston, MD, MS*
Lily Fatula MD, Alexandra Stedke DO, Todd Thurston MD, MS*
The University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, College of Medicine, Chattanooga
*Correspondence to: Todd Thurston, MD, MS
Fulltext PDFIn the United States, genital infection with HSV is quite common. An estimated 65% of pregnant women in the United States harbor herpes simplex virus (HSV) 1 or 2 with a genital infection [2]. Neonatal HSV is defined as an infection in a newborn within 28 days of birth and has potentially devastating consequences [1]. Untreated, neonatal HSV carries a 60% mortality rate. While infection rates differ geographically, rates as high as 60 per 100,000 live births have been reported in the United States [1]. Alternatively, intrauterine infection rates are reported at 1 in 300,000 deliveries. Most neonatal HSV cases are the result of exposure in the genital tract during delivery, however, intrauterine and post-natal infections do also occur. Intrauterine HSV infection is frequently excluded from descriptions of neonatal rates and previously have been thought to exhibit signs and symptoms limited to skin, the central nervous system, and eyes [2]. Recurrent genital herpes infections are the most common form of neonatal infection, however, infants born to mothers with newly acquired HSV during pregnancy are at the highest risk of obtaining the virus [2,3]. Neonatal transmission arises when the gravid mother is shedding the virus, however, most genital HSV infection occur initially without any signs or symptoms in the mother [3]. Furthermore, a large percentage of neonatal cases do not present with the classic findings involving skin, central nervous system, and eyes. Due to this the clinician must have a high index of suspicion and start empiric therapy as delay in treatment can significantly affect the clinical outcome for the neonate2.
Lily Fatula MD, Alexandra Stedke DO, Todd Thurston, MD, MS. A Case of Isolated Intrauterine Cutaneous HSV. Int Clinc Med Case Rep Jour. 2025;4(2):1-7.