Algirdas Utkus

Vilnius University Medical Faculty Human Genetics Center

Key words: teratogen, congenital infections, congenital anomalies, pregnancy.

Summary. The majority of congenital anomalies are of unknown or uncertain etiology. With the decrease in perinatal and infant mortality, congenital anomalies as a cause of mortality and morbidity, and hence health care cost, assume greater significance. The teratogenic agents during the course of pregnancy are estimated to account for approximately 10% of perceived congenital anomalies. The fetal damage produced as the result of exposure to an environmental agent is highly dependent upon the timing of exposure. Fetal vulnerability to teratogenic agents varies with gestational age and maturation of various organ systems. Hence, the effects of infections on the fetus vary, and may include abortion, stillbirth, physical defects, growth deficit, and physiological dysfunction. The effect of intrauterine infection agent may be reflected also in ongoing damage postnatally due to persistence of the agent in neonatal organs. The paper reviews infections teratogenic effects, along with their some aspects of epidemiology, biology and pathogenesis, clinical manifestations in the mother and infant, diagnosis and management in pregnancy, and prevention.