The AIDS epidemic is a rapidly growing problem in Nairobi, where the seroprevalence in pregnant women increased from 4% in 1988 to over 10% in 1991. 22 HIV-1-seropositive pregnant women and 1 HIV-1-infected baby (K88) attending the Pumwani Maternity Hospital of Nairobi between 1990 and 1992 were studied as part of a cohort study of maternal risk factors in mother-to-child transmission.