First West Nile Transmission in the Womb
First West Nile Transmission in the Womb
CDC Officials Say Infection Probably Caused Brain Damage
Dec. 19, 2002 -- A woman transmitted West Nile virus to her baby while pregnant in apparently the first case of intrauterine transmission of the disease, according to the CDC.
The baby girl was born last month in Syracuse, New York to a 20-year-old mother who first became ill with West Nile virus in August, but was not diagnosed until October. The baby was delivered normally but an MRI showed severe brain abnormalities. CDC officials characterized the infant as having severe neurological damage, and tests conducted shortly after birth showed that she had the infection.
They say that this case does not prove a direct relationship between infection and the brain abnormalities, but they have found no other explanation for it.
"It is very possible that the West Nile virus was the cause of this baby's neurological deficit, but with only one case it is impossible to determine cause and effect," CDC West Nile expert Lyle Peterson, MD, said during a teleconference held Thursday afternoon.
Several other cases of West Nile infection among pregnant women have been identified since the mosquito-borne virus was first reported in the U.S. in 1999. In one case a woman delivered a healthy baby who was not infected, and in the other cases the babies have not yet been born, the CDC officials said.
This single case that we report does not prove that West Nile virus infection causes adverse birth outcomes," Dan O'Leary, MD, said. "But pregnant women should take precautions to reduce their risk of West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne viruses by avoiding mosquitoes when possible, using protective clothing, and repellents containing DEET as per manufacturers' directions."
O'Leary said transmission through breast milk is believed to have occurred in at least one instance. In that case a woman became infected though a blood transfusion she received shortly after giving birth, and apparently passed the infection to her infant before she knew she was sick.
O'Leary and Peterson are with the CDC's Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases branch in Fort Collins, Colorado.
On Thursday, the CDC also released official figures on West Nile incidence in the United States this year. Between January and November there were 3,389 reported cases of illness linked to the virus occurring in 37 states and the District of Columbia. The peak of the outbreak occurred in August, and 201 deaths were reported.
First West Nile Transmission in the Womb
CDC Officials Say Infection Probably Caused Brain Damage
Dec. 19, 2002 -- A woman transmitted West Nile virus to her baby while pregnant in apparently the first case of intrauterine transmission of the disease, according to the CDC.
The baby girl was born last month in Syracuse, New York to a 20-year-old mother who first became ill with West Nile virus in August, but was not diagnosed until October. The baby was delivered normally but an MRI showed severe brain abnormalities. CDC officials characterized the infant as having severe neurological damage, and tests conducted shortly after birth showed that she had the infection.
They say that this case does not prove a direct relationship between infection and the brain abnormalities, but they have found no other explanation for it.
"It is very possible that the West Nile virus was the cause of this baby's neurological deficit, but with only one case it is impossible to determine cause and effect," CDC West Nile expert Lyle Peterson, MD, said during a teleconference held Thursday afternoon.
Several other cases of West Nile infection among pregnant women have been identified since the mosquito-borne virus was first reported in the U.S. in 1999. In one case a woman delivered a healthy baby who was not infected, and in the other cases the babies have not yet been born, the CDC officials said.
This single case that we report does not prove that West Nile virus infection causes adverse birth outcomes," Dan O'Leary, MD, said. "But pregnant women should take precautions to reduce their risk of West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne viruses by avoiding mosquitoes when possible, using protective clothing, and repellents containing DEET as per manufacturers' directions."
O'Leary said transmission through breast milk is believed to have occurred in at least one instance. In that case a woman became infected though a blood transfusion she received shortly after giving birth, and apparently passed the infection to her infant before she knew she was sick.
O'Leary and Peterson are with the CDC's Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases branch in Fort Collins, Colorado.
On Thursday, the CDC also released official figures on West Nile incidence in the United States this year. Between January and November there were 3,389 reported cases of illness linked to the virus occurring in 37 states and the District of Columbia. The peak of the outbreak occurred in August, and 201 deaths were reported.
