. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Feb 1.

Published in final edited form as: Curr Opin Microbiol. 2011 Dec 12;15(1):36–43. doi: 10.1016/j.mib.2011.11.006

Table 1. Diverse pathogens are capable of transplacental infection.

Here we list the major pathogens capable of transplacental infection. Several more—e.g. Epstein-Barr Virus, Hepatitis B virus, HIV and HSV—rarely cross the placenta, more are transmitted perinatally. Others have been raised in case reports and animal studies and merit further study, e.g. Babesia spp., Coxsackie B virus, Japanese Encephalitis virus, Leptospira spp., Salmonella spp., Wuchereria bancrofti and multiple gingival bacteria including Fusobacterium nucleatum.

Pathogen (Illness)	Type	Adult Tx	Lifestyle	Known tropisms
Brucella spp. (Brucellosis) ^a, ^b, ^c, ^d, ^e	B	Ingestion	Primarily I	Leukocytes, epithelial
Coxiella bumetii (Q fever) ^c, ^e, ^h	B	Inhalation	Obligate I	Leukocytes
Listeria monocytogenes (Listeriosis) ^a, ^b, ^c, ^d, ^g, ^h	B	Ingestion	I/E	Epithelial, phagocytes
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) ^d, ^g	B	Airborne	Primarily I	Leukocytes
Treponema pallidum (Syphilis) ^b, ^c, ^f, ^g	B	Sexual	Primarily E^*	Unknown
Leishmania spp. (Leishmaniasis) ^h	P	Vector	I/E	Leukocytes
Plasmodium falciparum (Malaria) ^b, ^c, ^e, ^g, ^h	P	Vector	Obligate I	Erythrocytes, hepatocytes
Toxoplasma gondii (Toxoplasmosis) ^a, ^b, ^d, ^g	P	Ingestion	Obligate I	All nucleated cells
Trypanosoma spp. (Chagas disease, African sleeping sickness) ^e, ^g	P	Vector	I/E	Epi/endothelial
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) ^a, ^b, ^d, ^g	V	Droplet	Obligate I	Leukocytes, trophoblasts
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) ^a, ^b, ^f, ^g	V	Ingestion, Inhalation	Obligate I	Leukocytes
Parvovirus B19 ^a, ^b, ^c, ^d, ^f	V	Droplet	Obligate I	Hematopoietic, endothelial
Rubella virus (German measles) ^g	V	Droplet	Obligate I	Many
Varicella zoster virus (Chicken pox) ^g, ^h	V	Airborne	Obligate I	Leukocytes, neurons, epithelial

Recognized, common adverse pregnancy outcomes:

first trimester fetal death;

second trimester fetal death;

stillbirth;

preterm labor;

intrauterine growth restriction;

fetal hydrops;

severe neonatal infection;

increased severity of maternal disease.

Type: (B)acterial, (V)iral or (P)rotozoan. Adult Tx: most common route of transmission to adult humans. Lifestyle: I = intracellular; E = extracellular. Known tropisms = cells infected.

Treponema pallidum is generally thought to be extracellular; however, it has been documented in non-phagocytic intracellular compartments both in vivo and in vitro [56]. (Table 1 with references for each pathogen cited can be found in supplementary material.)