Neonatal pemphigus vulgaris: transplacental transmission of antibodies.

A male infant with skin lesions was born to a 28-year-old mother who was under treatment for pemphigus vulgaris (PV), diagnosed eight years earlier. Circulating IgG class pemphigus antibody was found in the infant's blood, and deposition of IgG in the intercellular spaces of the epidermis was seen. The infant's lesions resolved within three weeks, and pemphigus antibody titer became negative by seven weeks. The pathogenetic role of PV antibodies and the risk for a fetus of a mother suffering from PV are discussed.