gynecology and obstetrics
Infectious Disease in Pregnancy
Key Points
Most common maternal infections (eg, UTIs, skin and respiratory tract infections) are usually not serious problems during pregnancy. Maternal infections that can damage the fetus include cytomegalovirus infection, herpes simplex virus infection, rubella, toxoplasmosis, hepatitis B, and syphilis. Give antibacterials to pregnant patients only when there is strong evidence of a bacterial infection and only if benefits of treatment outweigh risk, which varies by trimester. 