Fetal enterovirus syndrome occurs when a pregnant mother who is infected with an enterovirus passes the virus to her baby while it is the womb or during delivery. Enteroviruses are common viruses that most adults are immune to, but a pregnant woman who is not immune can pass the virus to her baby. A baby infected with an enterovirus may develop a mild or severe illness.

Symptoms of a mild enterovirus infection in infants may include fever, runny nose, sneezing, cough, mouth blisters, skin rash, and body and muscle aches. Symptoms of a severe enterovirus infection in infants may include viral conjunctivitis, hand, foot, and mouth disease, viral meningitis, viral encephalitis (brain infection), infection of the heart (myocarditis), infection of the sac covering the heart (pericarditis), hepatitis, sudden paralysis, inflammatory muscle disease, lung infection, coagulation abnormalities, sepsis, and rarely, organ failure and death. Congenital enterovirus infection in a fetus can lead to miscarriage, hydrops fetalis (abnormal build-up of fluid in tissues), fetal abnormalities of the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary system, developmental delays, fluid in the lungs and/or abdomen, and severe respiratory failure.

There is no cure for fetal enterovirus syndrome. Treatment is focused on supportive care to help alleviate symptoms. Severe fetal enterovirus syndrome can be fatal.