CLIA Rubella

Rubella is an exanthem viral disease of children and adolescents where it presents as a benign disease without any lasting effects. The virus is transmitted by droplet infection or via the placenta.

Rubella can be a very serious maternal infection; the virus that enters through the placenta often causes miscarriages or birth defects. The risk of embryonic defects decreases with the length of pregnancy the highest risk is during the first trimester. Rubella is one of the infections of TORCH syndrome.

Reinfections occur more frequently in vaccinated individuals than in naturally immune ones. Most of these reinfections pass without any symptoms. Rubella reinfections in pregnancy seldomly lead to the infection of the fetus.

Both IgM and IgG antibodies are induced by acute infection. Class IgG antibodies remain for a long time, usually for life. A significant increase of IgG antibody levels also occurs after vaccination even though the titers of these antibodies are generally lower than after undergoing natural infection.