West Nile Virus infection in perinatology

West Nile Virus causes one of the so-called emerging infectious diseases and is considered to be one of the major epidemic problems in many countries. Most of the WNV-infected-people do not develop clinical symptoms. Nevertheless, Infection with WNV can lead to severe neurological diseases, classically associated with West Nile fever. Among several neurological manifestations that have been observed, encephalitis is the most typical presentation. Transplacental passage is one of the confirmed transmission ways, but neonatal infection by breast feeding is also probable. Congenital WNV infection has been accompanied by bilateral chorioretinitis and severe malformation of the fetal central nervous system. At present, due to the lack of sufficient data, possibilities to conclude on the nature of the relationship between WNV infection and fetal malformations are limited

SARS-CoV infection and pregnancy

SARS is a highly contagious infection, caused by new coronavirus SARS-CoV. Immunopathological mechanisms responsible for the reaction to SARS-CoV infection have not yet been fully elucidated. Cytokine profile of SARS patients showed marked elevation of Th1 cytokine, interferon γ, inflammatory cytokines for at least 2 weeks after the onset of the disease. The clinical manifestation of SARS in patients has been of varied nature. Fever of more then 38°C, lasting more then 24 hours, is the most frequently encountered symptom. Other symptoms are non specific and they may include: sore throat, myalgia and nausea. The results of the radiologicalinvestigation may appear normal . Infants born to pregnant women with SARS did not appear to have acquired the infection through vertical transmission. However, direct contact with the maternal body fluid which contained SARS-CoV, has put the infants in great danger of perinatal infection. Ribavirin and corticosteroids are usually suggested for the treatment of SARS. However, the ribavirin therapy increases the risk of teratogenic effects in newborns of pregnant women with SARS. Therefore, the usage of this drug is not recommended during pregnancy and lactation