Abstract
Intravenous infection of 10 pregnant rhesus monkeys with mumps virus during the first trimester results in intrauterine and postnatal growth retardation. Virus may be recovered from the oropharynx of the pregnant monkey but has not been detected in the tissues of the embryo, fetus, or neonate. The maternal host develops mumps virus neutralizing antibody and delayed hypersensitivity while the infant monkey demonstrates delayed hypersensitivity alone.
Inoculation of the embryonated chick egg with mumps virus at 12 h of age results in a peristent gestational infection. At hatch virus may be recovered from the blood and organs contain virus in from 0.01 to 1.0% of their cells. Hatchling experimental and control chicks are of the same size. Within 1 week experimental chicks incur a transient growth lag which disappears by 4 weeks of age. Virus disappears from the tissues by 1 week of age. Specific antibody is present in the sera of experimental chicks at 1 month of age.
Preliminary studies reveal that parenteral mumps virus infection of the pregnant rat during early gestation results in fetal dwarfing. Virus has not been detected in late fetal tissues. Both maternal and weanling experimental rats demonstrate mumps virus antibody and delayed hypersensitivity.
Gestational viral infection may alter growth by a direct replicative effect on fetal tissues or perhaps indirectly via dysfunction of the placental unit.
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
St. Geme, J., Davis, C. & Van Pelt, L. Altered Growth Following Gestational Viral Infection of the Placental and Aplacental Host. Pediatr Res 4, 460–461 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197009000-00105
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197009000-00105