Newborn hypocarnitinemia due to long-term transplacental pivalic acid passage.

Infants often develop hypocarnitinemia and resultant hypoglycemia during long-term treatment with antibiotics that contain pivalic acid, but it is unknown whether maternal treatment with such agents during pregnancy induces hypocarnitinemia in fetuses or neonates. A woman at week 28 of pregnancy was prescribed cefcapene pivoxil for 84 consecutive days for treatment and prophylaxis of pyelonephritis. Using tandem mass spectrometry, both the mother and newborn were found to have hypocarnitinemia soon after delivery. It was concluded that the baby suffered from secondary hypocarnitinemia due to long-term prenatal treatment with antibiotics containing pivalic acid. Long-term treatment with antibiotics containing pivalic acid in pregnant women can induce hypocarnitinemia in both the mother and neonate; reported herein is the first case observed in humans.