Effects of dengue fever during pregnancy in French Guiana

To determine the effects of dengue fever (DF) during pregnancy, pregnant women presenting with a dengue-like syndrome at a hospital in Saint-Laurent du Maroni, French Guiana, from 1 January 1992 to 1 April 1998 were studied. The diagnosis of DF was made by serological tests, virus isolation on AP 61 mosquito cells, and/or reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis. Twenty-two women had either probable or confirmed DF. Dengue virus serotype 2 was detected in four cases, and dengue virus serotype 1 was detected in one. Three fetuses died following the onset of the disease, and three cases of prematurity occurred. All infants appeared normal during physical examination, and no neonatal DF was diagnosed. In conclusion, DF in pregnant women did not cause any infant abnormality, but it may have been responsible for fetal death. The rate of fetal death associated with DF (13.6%) was much higher than the mean rate for the gynecology unit at the hospital (1.9%). However, these differences were not significant, and consequently these preliminary results need to be confirmed.