Is some white matter damage in preterm neonates induced by a human pestivirus?

We oVer the hypothesis that some forms of cerebral white matter damage (WMD) in preterm neonates might be caused by transplacental viral infection of the fetus during the first or second trimester of pregnancy. Potts and colleagues speculated on the possible role of a human pestivirus (PV) in the aetiology of congenital microcephaly. We suggest PV might be a candidate virus for some form of WMD. We further oVer our view that a virus induced cytokine cascade might place the fetus at double jeopardy—that is, disturb white matter development and lead to preterm birth.