Fetal Infections I: Viral Infections

Abstract

Viral infections in pregnancy can lead to significant maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. They can have varying effects on pregnancy outcomes including spontaneous abortion, intrauterine growth restriction, intrauterine fetal demise, and fetal infection. Compared to infections acquired in the second or third trimester, infections in the first trimester usually carry a lower risk of transmission to the fetus, but may be more detrimental since they are acquired during the period of organogenesis. Although not all fetal infections lead to congenital defects, infants can be severely affected at birth and develop disease manifestations throughout the first few years of life. Most viral infections do not have effective treatment strategies when diagnosed during pregnancy, but prenatal screening for certain viruses may play an important role in educating pregnant women. Immunization strategies may also aid in preventing disease acquisition for some of these viral illnesses. This review contains 4 tables, 10 figures and 56 references. Keywords: CMV, congenital transmission, fetal viral infection, herpes virus, mother to child transmission, parvovirus, placenta, protozoa, rubella, teratogenicity, toxoplasmosis