In a recent review of the literature Freud 1 reviewed all of the cases reported to that date of the maternally transmitted cases of varicella. His cases dated back to 1878. To my knowledge there have been no further reports on congenital varicella.
It is the purpose of this paper to report an additional case of maternally transmitted varicella.
A gravida V, para III, 26-year-old white female had contact with varicella 17 days prior to termination of her fifth pregnancy. The mother developed her first crop of lesions 5 days prior to term. The contact was a neighbor's child who had varicella. Physical examination of the mother on an outpatient basis revealed typical varicella.
On June 8, 1961, she was delivered of a 7 lb. 12 oz. (about 3,515 gm.) infant girl. The child breathed and cried spontaneously, and examination was unremarkable. There were no skin lesions noted at birth.