Neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus Infection

This clinical vignette describes a premature infant born at 32 weeks gestation who presented with vesicular lesions immediately after delivery. The neonate had no evidence of disseminated infection, and HSV-1 was confirmed via PCR from multiple sites. The mother had experienced prolonged rupture of membranes and was later found to have a primary HSV-1 infection. Ascending intrauterine transmission was suspected. The infant responded well to acyclovir therapy and was developmentally normal at 2-year follow-up.

This clinical vignette describes a premature infant born at 32 weeks gestation who presented with vesicular lesions immediately after delivery. The neonate had no evidence of disseminated infection, and HSV-1 was confirmed via PCR from multiple sites. The mother had experienced prolonged rupture of membranes and was later found to have a primary HSV-1 infection. Ascending intrauterine transmission was suspected. The infant responded well to acyclovir therapy and was developmentally normal at 2-year follow-up.