Congenital Tuberculosis in a Neonate: A Case Report with Literature Review

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading infectious diseases in the world. Congenital TB is a rare infection transmitted from a mother to her foetus and doesn’t have any specific and pathogomonic signs and symptomps. Devastating consequences in the absence of early therapy signify the importance of early diagnosis and treatment during the neonatal period. Observation: This case report demonstrated a case of congenital tuberculosis in RS Hermina Jatinegara. The female neonate, preterm with gestational age 30 weeks, who delivered by caesarean section with birth weight 1530 gram, presented with respiratory distress (APGAR score 7/8). Diagnosis of congenital TB obtained from a positive history of tuberculosis in the parents, clinical investigation, positive tuberculosis blood test, and positive microbacterial culture from gastric lavage for M. tuberculosis.. Anti-tuberculous administrating showed remarkable improvement. Key message: Congenital tuberculosis, though rare, should be considered in an infant diagnosed with pneumonia that is resistant to antibiotic therapy especially in areas of high tuberculosis prevalence. Early diagnosis and treatment during the neonatal period have an important role for the successful treatment. This case illustrates the difficulties in diagnostic this disease, which are of great interest to public health, and points to the need to develop specific protocols to deal with these situations