Immediate and long-range effects of maternal viral infection in pregnancy.

A brief description of the pathogenesis and immediate and long-range outcome following certain maternal viral infections in pregnancy has been presented. As evidence has accumulated from the follow-up of infants with specific congenital infections, it is clear that the consequences can be disastrous but not just for the obviously affected neonate - the normal-appearing infant at birth may have problems which appear much later. So-called "silent" congenital infections of the central nervous system may be a more frequent cause of mental retardation and specific learning disorders than we realize.