Intrauterine Fetal Death and the Isolation of Echovirus 27 from Amniotic Fluid

To help determine the etiology of potential fetal and neonatal morbidity and mortality, the authors stress the potential importance of routine cultures for virus in the amniotic fluid in cases of significant maternal illness that suggests in utero infection. If such cultures are positive, the information would be valuable for assessing risk during subsequent pregnancies and, as more cases accumulate, for improving clinical management of such cases. Additionally, the grieving process may well be facilitated by an explanation of the cause of the fetal death.