A term infant is born to a known HIV-positive mother. She has been taking antiretroviral medications for the weeks prior to the delivery of her infant. Routine management of the healthy infant should include which of the following?
Correct Answer: A course of zidovudine for the infant
Description: The transmission of HIV from mother to infant has decreased in recent years, due in large part to perinatal administration of antiretroviral medications to the mother and a course of zidovudine to the exposed infant. Studies suggest that a better than 50% decrease in transmission can be seen with appropriate medications as outlined.IVIG has not been shown to have a role in decreasing perinatal transmission. Healthy asymptomatic term infants born to HIV-infected mothers do not need special monitoring, nor do they need routine radiographs.An HIV ELISA is an antibody test and will be positive in the infant born to an HIV-infected mother due to maternal antibodies that are passed through the placenta; it is not a useful test in the newborn infant to determine neonatal infection because of this expected transfer of maternal (and not infant) immunoglobulin. The confirmatory Western blot also assays for antibodies to HIV and is similarly unhelpful in the newborn period.
Category:
Pediatrics
Get More
Subject Mock Tests
Practice with over 200,000 questions from various medical subjects and improve your knowledge.
Attempt a mock test nowMock Exam
Take an exam with 100 random questions selected from all subjects to test your knowledge.
Coming SoonGet More
Subject Mock Tests
Try practicing mock tests with over 200,000 questions from various medical subjects.
Attempt a mock test now