[Pneumococcus: an unusual agent of maternal-fetal infection].
BACKGROUND
Since the advent of antibiotics, Streptococcus pneumoniae has become a very unusual agent of materno-fetal infection. We report two cases.


METHODS
In case n(o) 1, early neonatal meningitis was caused by a penicillin-resistant strain. In case n(o) 2, the mother developed meningitis 16 days after delivery. In both cases, premature rupture of the membranes in otherwise asymptomatic mothers was the initial event and outcome was favorable under amoxicillin alone. The pneumococci were easily recovered fom placental, amniotic and neonatal samples, less easily from the maternal samples.


CONCLUSIONS
The increasing prevalence of penicillin-resistant pneumococci is an emerging problem of real concern. It might increase the very low present incidence of pneumococcal neonatal materno-fetal infection which is a particularly serious infection with up to 60% neonatal mortality. Any type of S. pneumoniae infection, or even colonization, occurring in the peripartum should prompt adequate treatment and suggests considering first line vancomycin for the newborn.
Strobel
M
M
Service de Maladies infectieuses, CHU de Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe.
Rosenthal
J M
JM
Adjide
C
C
Perez
J M
JM
Janky
E
E
D000328:Adult; D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D001034:Apgar Score; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D008581:Meningitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D010298:Parity; D010403:Penicillin Resistance; D010920:Placenta / Q000382:microbiology; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000187:drug effects*