Ultrasound Markers of Fetal Infection

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Abstract
Summary: Diagnosis of infections in pregnant women has depended on positive cultures or immunologic techniques used to detect and identify microorganisms known or suspected to be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Certain viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa are capable of infecting fetuses even when the amniotic membranes are intact. These infections may become evident with overt, clinical presentation in pregnant women, or they may be completely silent. In many instances, by the time an infection is confirmed by culture results or by histopathologic findings, fetal compromise may be so extensive that irreversible and permanent fetal impairment or death is inevitable. Intrauterine infection can affect fetal development in subtle or in obvious ways. Indicators of fetal infection may range from fetal growth restriction, inappropriate development or calcification of fetal organs or of fetal adnexal structures (placenta and membranes), failure to develop fat stores or depletion of fat stores, to more obvious effects such as gross malformations or intrauterine fetal demise. Some of the subtle and most of the gross changes typical of fetal infections are detectable by ultrasonography.

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