Maternal Exposure to Mycoplasma Pneumonia and Amniotic Constriction Band: A Case Report of Probable Novel Etiology

Amniotic constriction band (ACB) is an uncommon clinical concept with different presentations specific to each patient with clinical symptoms may include ring constrictions, digital defects, natural limb amputations, and visceral defects. The etiology of this defect is not fully understood. We present a full-term newborn boy who was born by vaginal delivery to a healthy mother. At birth, amniotic bands encircled and constricted his upper and lower limbs. At two and six months of gestation, the mother gave a unique obstetric history of recurrent exposure to her infected daughter, which was diagnosed later as a case of atypical M. pneumoniae. This raises suspicion that M. pnemoniae may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of ACB and the hypothesis related to its origin. The inquiry in our case is whether M. pneumoniae might have been a non-aberrant teratogen and caused subclinical chorioamnionitis that leads to early rupture of amniotic membranes and result in the proposed defects. As far as we know, this is the first case reported in the literature that combines gestational exposure to M. pneumoniae and postpartum isolated amniotic constrictions and minor digital defects in Saudi Arabia newborns. In addition, we discussed the possible underlying causes and reviewed the published literature on this defect.