Fetal Infections

Fetal infections are usually due to viruses that are passed along from a mother to her child while the baby is still in the womb or during delivery. Some of the most common viruses associated with fetal infections include German measles (also known as rubella), herpes, chickenpox, parvovirus, cytomegalovirus and enteroviruses, while one of the most common parasites associated with fetal infection is toxoplasma gondii. Women and babies affected by a virus may initially show no symptoms, but the damage that the infection causes can show up as medical and developmental issues that arise later.