Perinatal inflammation and infection.

We here review the relation between feto-maternal and neonatal inflammatory/infective processes (e.g. chronic lung disease and necrotising enterocolitis) and their interaction with genetic and environmental factors. We also investigate the available evidence suggesting a link between perinatal inflammatory responses and neonatal (neuro)morbidity. Currently there does not appear to exist a silver bullet capable to prevent an impaired neurodevelopmental outcome in the event of a fetal and/or neonatal inflammatory response. A clear need thus exists for more epidemiology studies, using advanced techniques for laboratory research and neuro-imaging, with sufficiently long periods of follow-up. It is hoped that these studies will identify pre and postnatal inflammatory risk profiles, this through clarification of the relationship between inflammation markers and their expression in the fetal and neonatal circulation over time. Although such research will be complex, only then we may become successful in the development of new anti-inflammatory interventions in the newborn.