A case of congenital tuberculosis-infected twins born to a mother with asymptomatic tuberculosis during pregnancy

Abstract

Congenital tuberculosis infection is very rare, but fatal. Congenital tuberculosis should always be considered among the many causes of pneumonia, especially if the newborn has pneumonia that does not respond to treatment. We report a case of a premature infant born to a mother who had no evidence of tuberculosis infection. The patient was the first of the twins born by cesarean section at 30 weeks and 1 day of gestation. The 21 st day after birth, the patient de­ veloped apnea, tachycardia, and tachypnea. The medical staff assumed sepsis and bacterial pneumonia. Despite antibiotic treatment, the patient’s condition worsened. On the 63 rd day after birth, the mother of the infant visited the emergency room complaining of fever and decreased consciousness and was diagnosed with tuberculous meningitis. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was detected in the AFB stain, TB PCR, and TB culture.