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A New York woman infected with the West Nile virus gave birth to a brain-damaged infant in November who was also infected with the virus, according to a report from officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This is the first documented case of intrauterine infection with the virus (MMWR 51[50]:1135-36, 2002).
Until this case was reported, health officials had not associated West Nile virus with intrauterine infection.
The CDC began asking state health departments to report infections among pregnant women and infants following a case reported last October in which an infected mother unknowingly passed the virus to her infant through breast milk, Daniel R. O'Leary, a CDC medical epidemiologist, said during a teleconference.
In the current case, a 20-year-old woman was hospitalized in the early fall complaining of weakness in her legs. Petal monitoring was normal, but serum was positive for West Nile virus-specific IgM antibodies, and the woman was diagnosed with meningoencephalitis.
Following delivery, an ophthalmologic examination of the infant revealed bilateral chorioretinitis.
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Source: HighBeam Research, Baby acquired West Nile virus in utero. (First Documented Case).