2012 National DNA Day Online Chatroom Transcript

This is just one question from an archive of the National DNA Day Moderated Chat held in April 2012. The NHGRI Director and many genomics experts from across NHGRI took questions from students, teachers and the general public on topics ranging from basic genomic research, to the genetic basis of disease, to ethical questions about genetic privacy.

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If you get a serious disease (measles or mumps) while pregnant, can it affect you're baby?
     Donna Krasnewich, M.D., Ph.D.: I am a Program Director at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). I am knowledgeable in diseases resulting from inborn errors of metabolism. This is an important health issue, thank you for bringing it up. Yes, there are several viruses that can affect the way a baby develops if the mother is infected during pregnancy. The most notable ones are Rubella (a type of measles), cytomegalovirus, toxoplasmosis (carried by some infected cats) and HIV. It is an important reason why everyone should be vaccinated against viruses that have effective vaccines and be careful to stay healthy during pregnancy. The mumps virus is known to cause infertility in men in some cases but I do not think it is a known teratogen, an agent that affects the fetus if a mom is infected during pregnancy.
Peru High School in IN (9th grade student)

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