Chronic maternal infections during pregnancy

摘要

In their excellent Review, Nicholas Dauby and colleagues 1 discuss the often striking effects of maternal infection during pregnancy on fetal and neonatal immune development and susceptibility to postnatal infections, with particular focus on infections common in developing countries. Worldwide, more than 1 million premature newborn infants die every year.2 In developed countries, the rising numbers of preterm infants account for about 75% of all neonatal morbidity and mortality, much of which is related to infection and resulting inflammation. Furthermore, preterm infants remain susceptible to invasive infection well into early childhood.