Guinea pig cytomegalovirus: transplacental transmission. Brief report.

A well characterized strain of guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV) was used to infect pregnant guinea pigs during various periods of pregnancy. Transplacental transmission of virus with invasion of the fetus was observed, even in some mothers with preinoculation evidence of GPCMV antibody. Fetal infection occurred during the middle third of pregnancy and GPCMV was isolated from many fetal tissues although histologic evidence of infection was not noted. During the last third, abortion of the pregnancy occurred in some animals. This report demonstrates that GPCMV may invade the fetus producing a sublethal, possibly mild infection which may be very similar to the usual type of CMV infection observed in the human newborn.