Infectious disease in pregnancy

Most infections during pregnancy will not cause long-term harm, but those that do should be recognised and treated with a structured, multidisciplinary approach. Mothers die from obstetric sepsis, more commonly in the developing world, and some infections, notably influenza and varicella, run a more severe course in pregnancy. Maternal infection can lead to foetal congenital anomalies, stillbirth, preterm deliveries, intrauterine growth restriction and neonatal infection. This review will outline prevention and screening techniques for infections, maternal infection syndromes, important organisms with their clinical effects and management in pregnancy and finally infections with risks of significant foetal malformations will be discussed.