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Objective To evaluate the incidence of infants with birth weight less than the 10th centile for small for gestational age (SGA) in primary maternal cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and to determine whether SGA predicts poor neurodevelopmental outcome. Methods A retrospective cohort study, which included singleton live-born infants from pregnancies complicated by primary maternal CMV infection. Infants were classified as uninfected or infected based on viral virus isolation and real-time PCR in urine at birth. SGA neonates rate and long-term sequelae were evaluated. Results Between 2000 and 2012, 848 women with primary CMV infection were referred to our center with 588 infants assessed at birth. Congenital CMV infection was diagnosed in 119 cases (20%), of which 8 were SGA (6.7%) compared with 27 out of the 469 uninfected infants (5.7%) (p-value = 0.69). Among the 119 infected babies, 14 infants were symptomatic at birth or at postnatal follow-up (12%), of whom two were SGA compared with six out of the 105 asymptomatic neonates (5.7% versus 15%, respectively, p-value = 0.22). Conclusion Congenital CMV infection does not seem to be associated with a higher incidence of SGA, and long-term outcomes do not seem to be affected by isolated impaired fetal growth.

Objective: The aim was to determine the outcome of pregnancies complicated by maternal Parvovirus B19 (B19) infection. Method: Among 175 pregnant women referred to our clinic because of suspicion of a B19 infection, 63 with confirmed laboratory diagnosis of acute/recent B19 infection were followed up by ultrasound and Doppler measurement of the middle cerebral artery peak systolic velocity. Results: The vertical transmission rate was 31.7% (20/63). Of the 20 infected, 8 had hydrops, 1 had signs suggestive of meconium peritonitis and 1 had an isolated hydrothorax. Three fetuses presenting with hydrops were treated with intrauterine blood transfusion. Two of them died while the last showed resolution of anemia. Among the five untreated hydropic fetuses, one presented with mild signs that resolved spontaneously, two died at 16 and 17 weeks of gestation and two had also cardiomegaly and the parents opted for elective termination of pregnancy. All the anemic fetuses had middle cerebral artery peak systolic velocity values more than 1.8 multiples of the median. No stillbirth occurred. Conclusions: The outcome of uncomplicated cases with B19 infection is good. In the presence of hydrops prognosis was very poor. It seems therefore logical to attempt to pick up this ominous signs early. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.