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  • Perinatal/Neonatal Case Presentation
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Perinatal/Neonatal Case Presentation

Non-immune hydrops fetalis caused by herpes simplex virus type 2 in the setting of recurrent maternal infection

Journal of Perinatology volume 33, pages 817–820 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

We report a case of non-immune hydrops fetalis (NIHF) caused by herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) in an infant whose mother had recurrent HSV-2 infection. In spite of prematurity, severe disseminated infection and hydrops, the infant survived and was neurologically intact. HSV-2-induced NIHF is extremely rare, particularly in the setting of recurrent maternal infection, and this case is, to our knowledge, the first report of a surviving infant. HSV-2 should be considered in the differential diagnosis of NIHF and early initiation of empiric acyclovir therapy is recommended in this setting, pending the results of virologic diagnostic tests.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the useful discussions with Planned Parenthood of St Paul, Minnesota. Funding support from HD044864 and HD068229 is acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    K M Pfister & T N George

  2. Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Center for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Translational Research, University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital, Minneapolis, MN, USA,

    M R Schleiss

  3. Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    R C Reed

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  1. K M Pfister
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Correspondence to M R Schleiss.

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Pfister, K., Schleiss, M., Reed, R. et al. Non-immune hydrops fetalis caused by herpes simplex virus type 2 in the setting of recurrent maternal infection. J Perinatol 33, 817–820 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2013.68

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