Comment.  Epidural fevers are common during labor, and are usually not associated with infection. Many obstetricians are inclined to “cover” with antibiotics whenever fever with labor is present.  If asked for a reason for the antibiotic treatment, the usual response is “possible or suspected chorioamnionitis” (due to fever).  The recent CDC guidelines for prevention of early-onset group B Strep infections state that infants born to mothers treated with antibiotics during labor for suspected chorioamnionitis should have a sepsis evaluation and treatment with IV antibiotics pending culture results (see 3-053).  This poses a therapeutic dilemma for pediatricians and neonatologists.  On one hand, we would like to avoid doing unnecessary laboratory studies and antibiotic treatment for healthy-appearing term babies because their mother had a low-grade epidural fever and was “covered” with antibiotics.  On the other hand, if we elect to simply observe these infants without doing labs or antibiotic treatment, we assume the liability of practicing outside of an established CDC and AAP practice guideline.  It would be helpful if our obstetric colleagues would reserve to diagnosis of “suspected chorioamnionitis” for patients with the complete clinical picture suggestive of that diagnosis.  In addition to fever, this might include uterine tenderness, increased uterine irritability, cloudy or foul-smelling amniotic fluid, and fetal tachycardia.  For patients with only a low-grade fever after epidural anesthesia, let’s just call it a "probable epidural fever” ABK.