Which maternal host factor increases the risk of healthcare-associated perinatal infection in both infant and mother?

• A. Normal BMI 22
• B. No colonization with infections
• C. Immunocompromised with corticosteroids
• D. Regular prenatal care

Answer: (C)

Immune suppression from systemic corticosteroids lowers both innate and adaptive defenses, making infections more likely to take hold. In the perinatal setting this increases the risk for infection in the mother during delivery and postpartum, such as endometritis or wound infections after birth, and it also raises the neonate’s risk of early-onset sepsis or other infections due to maternal or nosocomial pathogens encountered in the hospital. When the immune system is dampened, the usual barriers against infection are weaker, so both mother and baby become more susceptible to healthcare-associated pathogens in the perinatal period. In contrast, a normal BMI and regular prenatal care are not risk-enhancing factors; they’re associated with lower infection risk, and lack of colonization would likewise not heighten risk.