Fetal Diagnosis of Infectious Disease: A Lagos Prenatal Diagnosis Program Experience - In Memory Of Late Prof. E. O. Akinrimisi

Abstract

Prenatal diagnosis of infectious diseases has been shown to be indispensable in order to confirm or exclude in utero infections due to cytomegalovirus, rubella, toxoplasmosis, varicella and hepatitis and multidisciplinary approach is needed.
Our report is on data obtained from n=65 pregnant women at risk for the above mentioned conditions. The specific IgM test suggested seroconversion in only n=29 of these patients and 27 of them requested for prenatal diagnosis is means of fetal blood sampling or amniocentesis or both. The results are encouraging but more work is required to optimize our diagnostic approach i.e. monoclonal antibodies and DNA probes with direct identification by means of chronic villi sampling, which we use for prenatal diagnosis of haemoglobinopathy (DNA-genetic).


NQJHM Vol. 13 (3-4) 2003: pp. 47-48