Clinical aspects of congenital tuberculosis.

Congenital transmission of tuberculosis is rare. In the past the diagnosis has usually been made in the post-mortem room and the condition has interested the pathologist more than the clinician. In the majority of published cases the nature of the illness has been apparent soon after birth. In others, however, the symptoms have not appeared for several weeks or months and it is not easy to accept all of these as true examples of congenital transmission of the infection, even though they fulfil all the criteria detailed by Beitzke (1935), for it is well known that a very brief exposure to an adult with phthisis may be sufficient to infect an infant. Since streptomycin became available about a dozen cases have been diagnosed early, treated and apparently cured. In this paper another successful case is recorded and the symptoms, diagnosis and management are discussed.