Intravenous ZDV remains an effective tool to reduce transmission in cases of virological failure, even in cART-treated women. However, for the vast majority of women with low viral loads at delivery, in the absence of obstetrical risk factors, systematic intravenous ZDV appears to be unnecessary.

One hundred and ninety women who contracted toxoplasmosis after the seventh week of pregnancy underwent antenatal diagnosis, including ultrasound examination and biological tests. Tests included Toxoplasma isolation in fetal blood and amniotic fluid by mouse inoculation, specific IgM and IgA in fetal blood, and non-specific tests. Twenty fetuses had positive specific as well as non-specific tests for Toxoplasma infection. At birth, four of these presented with clinical congenital toxoplasmosis and 12 with subclinical forms. Antenatal diagnosis enabled the detection of 83 per cent of the infected fetuses. Under specific conditions, cordocentesis permits early diagnosis and considerably reduces the number of terminations of pregnancy.

Summary. The two main mutations of the HFE (haemochromatosis) gene, C282Y and H63D, were found previously to be rare or absent among Africans. Dried blood samples of 1276 newborns from southern France were analysed for both HFE mutations, and the origins of the four grandparents of each newborn were recorded. The allele frequency of C282Y and H63D was 3´0%^0´7% and 16´9%^1´5% respectively. In a subgroup of 171 newborns with four North African ancestries (mainly from Morocco and Algeria) the allele frequency was 0´9% 12´5% 20´2%for the C282Y and 13´2%^3´6% for H63D. HFE mutations are not absent in individuals with North African origins living in southern Europe. This finding has implications for the diagnosis and screening of hereditary haemochromatosis in these populations.

This descriptive study was conducted to evaluate the risk of uterine rupture in cases of late vaginal induced abortions among women with previous cesarean sections. 23 women were referred at a mean gestational age of 23.9 (SD 6.9) weeks of gestation after one or two cesarean sections. Indications for terminating the pregnancy were maternal diseases in 4 cases and fetal anomalies in 19 cases. RU 486 and/or prostaglandins were used for cervical ripening and to induce labor. Vaginal birth was obtained in 20 cases (86.9%) with an average duration of 72 (SD 52) h. Cesarean section was performed in the remaining 3 women because no cervical dilation could be obtained. One uterine rupture occurred and was treated with conservation of the uterus. Late termination of pregnancy in such cases can be achieved without cesarean section with a high success rate.

Fetal diastematomyelia, a malformation due to a longitudinal split of the cord, was diagnosed during the third trimester. Diagnosis was based on the visualization of a sagittal bony spur in the thoracolumbar spinal canal, associated with enlargement of the canal, hemivertebrae and spina bifida without a meningocele.