Isolation of rubella virus from products of conception

Abstract

The products of conception from 50 therapeutic abortions for maternal rubella in either the first or second trimester were studied using virus isolation procedures. Rubella virus was isolated from 32 (64 per cent) of the specimens. Within the limits of the study it could be demonstrated that the rubella virus was capable of infecting the products of conception, and that once infection was established the virus persisted within the products of conception as late as the seventy-seventh day following the onset of rash.For 8 infected fetuses it was possible to study individual organs. The placenta was involved in all 8 cases. In addition, isolations were achieved from brain, eye, inner ear, heart, thymus, lung, kidney, adrenal glands, gonads, spleen and the gastrointestinal tract in 2 cases, and from the heart in 1 case.This study suggests that the establishment of infection by the rubella virus within the placenta may be a very frequent phenomenon with maternal rubella in the first 4 months of gestation. The possible critical role of the placenta in determining whether infection of other fetal tissues occurs is discussed.