title: Connatal tuberculosis in a very premature infant.
abstract: Connatal tuberculosis is increasing in incidence and the mortality and morbidity of this disease remains high. We report a 27-week-old, 896 g female premature infant who had mild respiratory distress syndrome after birth. She developed signs of infection, progressive pneumonia and atelectasis which did not respond to mechanical ventilation and antibiotics. At 41 days of age, Mycobacterium tuberculosis was isolated from the non-bronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage. The isolate was sensitive to isoniazid, rifampin, streptomycin, and pyrazinamide. Miliary tuberculosis was subsequently diagnosed in her mother on a chest X-ray film and sputum cultures. The infant was treated successfully with anti-tuberculosis drugs. She had normal growth and development at the chronological age of 20 months old.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Connatal tuberculosis should be considered in premature infants with symptoms of sepsis refractory to antibiotics. Most premature infants with connatal tuberculosis have lung involvement, and non-bronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage can be a useful procedure to establish the diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, 5 Fu Hsing Street, Kweishan 333 Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Mei-Ling
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Shiann-Tarng
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Jou
authors.forename: Chao-Ran
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ming-Tsung
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Shen-Hao
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Kin-Sun
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Yhu-Chering
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Yi-Hung
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chou
mesh_terms: D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D011859:Radiography; D014391:Tuberculosis, Miliary / Q000151:congenital* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents