Two weeks after bih, a neonate develops sepsis, skin vesicles, and conjunctivitis. Over the next several days, the baby's condition deteriorates with development of seizures, cranial nerve palsies, and lethargy. The baby dies approximately one week after onset of symptoms. Which of the following infectious agents would most likely cause this clinical presentation?
This is the history of neonatal herpes that manifests as a generalized infection in the neonate. Most common cause is HSV2. HSV2 is the most common cause of genital herpes, which manifests as painful vesicular lesions that ulcerate. The site of latent infection is sacral nerve root ganglia.
Cytomegalovirus
Herpes simplex
Rubella
Syphilis