[Enterovirus infection during pregnancy: Underestimated cause of fetal and neonatal complications?]

Abstract

Enteroviruses are responsible for about one billion infections every year in the world. The clinical expression is in the vast majority asymptomatic cases (90%). Its consequences during pregnancy are rarely described. From the Medline database, we selected and analyzed 34 articles ranging from 1965 to 2015, to analyse the current knowledge of enterovirus infection consequences during pregnancy. We found that enterovirus infections may be the cause of fetal loss. The enterovirus infections during the 2nd and 3rd trimester may also lead to in utero fetal anomalies and death, but also to severe neonatal infections. PCR enterovirus detection should be performed during pregnancy and the peripartum in case of unexplained fever, specific fetal anomalies or unexplained fetal demise.

Keywords: Congenital infection; Enterovirus; Infection congénitale; Intra-uterine fetal demise; Mort fœtale in utero; Perte fœtale; Pregnancy loss; RT-PCR.