In a newborn with conjunctivitis presenting at about one week of age, which maternal history is most relevant?

In a newborn with conjunctivitis presenting at about one week of age, which maternal history is most relevant?

• A. Mother with STD
• B. Intrauterine rubella
• C. Postnatal exposure to daycare
• D. Allergic rhinitis

Answer: (A)

Neonatal conjunctivitis that appears around the first week of life is most commonly due to infection acquired during birth from the mother, particularly with Neisseria gonorrhoeae or Chlamydia trachomatis. A maternal history of a sexually transmitted infection flags the main route of transmission for these pathogens, making it the most relevant information in this scenario. Intrauterine rubella would present as congenital rubella with other findings evident at birth, not as a self-contained conjunctivitis developing in the first week. Postnatal daycare exposure could cause conjunctivitis but typically would not be tied to delivery timing, and allergic rhinitis is not an infectious cause of neonatal conjunctivitis.

Neonatal conjunctivitis that appears around the first week of life is most commonly due to infection acquired during birth from the mother, particularly with Neisseria gonorrhoeae or Chlamydia trachomatis. A maternal history of a sexually transmitted infection flags the main route of transmission for these pathogens, making it the most relevant information in this scenario. Intrauterine rubella would present as congenital rubella with other findings evident at birth, not as a self-contained conjunctivitis developing in the first week. Postnatal daycare exposure could cause conjunctivitis but typically would not be tied to delivery timing, and allergic rhinitis is not an infectious cause of neonatal conjunctivitis.