Maternal and fetal infections.

Acquired immunodeficiency virus infections had recently been the leading cause of death in minority women of reproductive age in several urban cities in the United States. In addition, more than 80% of infants with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection acquired the infection perinatally. These alarming data have spawned a prodigious body of information about perinatal human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection. Some of the most recent advances are highlighted in this review. Revolutionary techniques, initially developed in molecular biology, such as in situ hybridization, the polymerase chain reaction, and gene sequencing, have also recently made a significant contribution to the diagnosis and better understanding of viral and bacterial infections. For example, organisms such as cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex, Chlamydia, parvovirus, Pneumocystis carinii, and toxoplasma are now detectable by polymerase chain reaction methods. The most recent information in these areas is also briefly reviewed.