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Human Cytomegalovirus Infection Is Detected Frequently in Stillbirths and Is Associated With Fetal Thrombotic Vasculopathy

2011; Oxford University Press; Volume: 203; Issue: 11 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1093/infdis/jir121

1537-6613

Jenna M. Iwasenko, Jonathan Howard, Susan Arbuckle, Nicole Graf, Beverley Hall, Maria E. Craig, William D. Rawlinson,

Neonatal Health and Biochemistry

(See the editorial commentary by Pereira, on pages 1510–2.) Background. Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common congenital infection in developed countries and is a known cause of intrauterine fetal death. We examined CMV infection in stillbirths and the relationship with histopathological findings at autopsy. Methods. We collected liver, kidney, and placenta specimens from 130 stillbirths. CMV DNA and protein were detected using polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, along with routine autopsy of stillborn infants. Results. Overall, CMV DNA was detected in 15% of singleton, >20-week stillborn infants. CMV DNA was detected in kidney (9%), liver (11%), and placenta (5%) specimens, with 75% of infections confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Fetal thrombotic vasculopathy was the only histopathological abnormality associated with CMV infection (in 60% CMV-infected vs 28% uninfected stillbirths P = .010). Conclusions. Stillbirth has multiple etiologies. However, the detection of CMV DNA in 15% of fetal tissues or placentae suggests a strong association between CMV infection in pregnancy and stillbirth. Molecular testing during postmortem investigation has an important role to determine the contribution of CMV infection.