title: Parvovirus B19 in pregnancy:  prenatal diagnosis and management of fetal complications.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Parvovirus B19 infection is often considered a mild and self-limiting disease of minor clinical importance. This review aims to raise awareness of recently discovered potentially devastating consequences of this infection in pregnancy, and provides updated guidelines on diagnosis and management.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In contrast to previous beliefs, parvovirus B19 infection during any stage of pregnancy may not only cause fetal death, but may also result in severe and irreversible neurological sequelae in survivors. Improved diagnostic techniques allow more reliable and earlier diagnosis of fetal disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinicians need to be aware of the risk of adverse outcome of parvovirus B19 infection in pregnancy, and sometimes the long interval between exposure and fetal symptoms. Accurate diagnosis using PCR and weekly ultrasound checks ups with Doppler measurement of middle cerebral artery flow velocity up to 20 weeks postexposure may improve detection of fetal disease. More timely treatment likely results in improved outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anneke C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Dijkmans
authors.forename: Eveline P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.forename: Ben A C
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Dijkmans
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lopriore
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vossen
authors.forename: Frans J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Walther
authors.forename: Dick
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Oepkes
mesh_terms: D042241:Early Diagnosis; D016731:Erythema Infectiosum / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000196:embryology / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D020768:Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000196:embryology / Q000821:virology; D010322:Parvoviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000196:embryology / Q000401:mortality; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000821:virology; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal