Maternal-fetal Transmission and Adverse Perinatal Outcomes in Pregnant Women Infected With Zika Virus: A Prospective Cohort Study in French Guiana

Abstract

(BMJ. 2018;363:k4431) While Zika virus has been confirmed to be vertically transmitted from mothers to infants, and associated with congenital anomalies, the risk of congenital Zika virus syndrome (CZS) is unclear due to a lack of fetal and neonatal testing. The risk of CZS with its associated fetal abnormalities had been reported to be as high as 40% based on the outbreak in Brazil, but more recent reports from the United States suggest a 4% to 8% risk of birth defects in babies born to mothers with confirmed infection. This study aimed to estimate the risk of maternal-fetal transmission of infection as well as the percentage of neonates with clear signs of infection or complications related to CZS within 1 week after birth.