[Virologic diagnosis of maternal-fetal infections (HIV excluded)]

Some viral infections, such as rubella, cytomegalovirus and parvovirus B 19 infections or varicella, are particularly feared in pregnant women in view of the risk of foetal infection. Laboratory tests play an important role since there is no other way of diagnosing the infection and determining whether it is primary or secondary, a distinction which to a great extent conditions the severity of the foetal disease. However, no virological diagnosis can be made unless the examinations needed are prescribed correctly and at the right moment. The diagnosis of rubella is now well codified, but that of CMV infection still suffers from interpretation problems and that of parvovirus B 19 infection can only be obtained from specialized laboratories. The application of rapid diagnostic methods and molecular biology to foetal specimen collected under ultrasonography should provide a more accurate prenatal diagnosis of congenital viral infections.