title: HIV transmission through breastfeeding: still possible in developed countries.
abstract: We describe here the case of a 13-month-old boy who acquired HIV infection postnatally through breastfeeding in a developed country in 2012. His mother had regular pregnancy follow-up and was found to be seronegative for HIV on 2 consecutive screening tests (during pregnancy and just after delivery). However, 1 year later, diagnosis of HIV infection arose in both of them after a pediatric emergency department visit for bronchitis when unexplained hepatosplenomegaly and inflammatory syndrome were noted. The negative maternal viral load found just after delivery confirmed that the mother's seroconversion occurred postnatally, which allowed for active HIV transmission during lactation and lack of the efficient preventive measures that have implemented in Belgium for years. We discuss this uncommon but still existing mode of HIV transmission in industrialized countries and highlight the importance of implementing new targeted health education interventions in addition to constant clinicians' awareness.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Infectious Disease Unit, and.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blumental
authors.affiliation: Hemato-Oncology Unit, Hôpital Universitaire des Enfants Reine Fabiola, Brussels, Belgium; Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium; and.
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferster
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbiology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire St Pierre, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Sigi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van den Wijngaert
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Infectious Disease Unit, and philippe.lepage@huderf.be.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lepage
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000009:adverse effects; D019049:Developed Countries; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: HIV; breastfeeding; infant; infection; mother to child transmission; postnatal