Virus Infection In Pregnant Women Research Articles

Prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in pregnant women with and without HIV in Jos, Nigeria

ObjectiveTo compare the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in pregnant women with and without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Jos, Nigeria. MethodsThis comparative cross-sectional study of pregnant women was undertaken between 1 November 2017 and 30 April 2018. Informed consent was obtained, demographic data and predictors for HBV were collected, and all women were screened for HIV and HBV. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses using STATA Version 15 were performed. ResultsOf 3238 women enrolled, 12.6% and 7.2% of those with and without HIV had HBV, respectively (P = 0.01). Women with HIV, higher parity [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.68, P < 0.01], lower gestational age (aOR 1.04, P < 0.01) and without prior HBV vaccination (aOR 0.40, P < 0.01) were significantly more likely to have HBV infection. ConclusionsAmong pregnant women, the prevalence of HBV was higher among those with HIV. Predictors of HBV included being multigravida or grand-multigravida, registration for antenatal care before 20 weeks of gestation, and no prior HBV vaccination. In settings with endemic HBV and HIV, integration of effective HBV and HIV prevention services could greatly decrease the transmission and prevalence of HBV.

Prolonged Maternal Zika Viremia as a Marker of Adverse Perinatal Outcomes

Whether prolonged maternal viremia after Zika virus infection represents a risk factor for maternal–fetal transmission and subsequent adverse outcomes remains unclear. In this prospective cohort study in French Guiana, we enrolled Zika virus–infected pregnant women with a positive PCR result at inclusion and noninfected pregnant women; both groups underwent serologic testing in each trimester and at delivery during January–July 2016. Prolonged viremia was defined as ongoing virus detection >30 days postinfection. Adverse outcomes (fetal loss or neurologic anomalies) were more common in fetuses and neonates from mothers with prolonged viremia (40.0%) compared with those from infected mothers without prolonged viremia (5.3%, adjusted relative risk [aRR] 7.2 [95% CI 0.9–57.6]) or those from noninfected mothers (6.6%, aRR 6.7 [95% CI 3.0–15.1]). Congenital infections were confirmed more often in fetuses and neonates from mothers with prolonged viremia compared with the other 2 groups (60.0% vs. 26.3% vs. 0.0%, aRR 2.3 [95% CI 0.9–5.5]).

Clinical Characteristics of Hepatitis in Pregnancy in Pregnant Women with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection and Evaluation of the Efficacy of Antiviral Therapy

To explore the clinical characteristics of hepatitis in pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B virus infection and the efficacy of telbivudine treatment is the main objective. In this study, 136 pregnant women with hepatitis B virus infection diagnosed in our hospital from March 2017 to December 2018 were selected as the research objects. According to whether the patients had hepatitis episodes, they were divided into 96 cases in the seizure group and 40 cases in the non-seizure group. The two groups of patients were compared. The difference of serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, hepatitis B virus-deoxyribonucleic acid load, hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis B e antigen; randomize the attack group of patients and divide into telbivudine group and entecavir group with 48 cases each. Compare hepatitis B virus-deoxyribonucleic acid load, hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis B e antigen, serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase changes at different times before and after treatment and peripheral blood T helper cell factors and regulatory T cells/T helper 17 cells levels changes and shows differences in neonatal outcomes. The hepatitis B virus-deoxyribonucleic acid load, hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis B e antigen, serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels of the hepatitis attack group were higher than those of the non-seizure group and the difference was statistically significant (p 0.05), after 12 w of treatment, the hepatitis B virus-deoxyribonucleic acid load, hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis B e antigen, serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels were not statistically significant (p>0.05). The levels of hepatitis B virus-deoxyribonucleic acid load, hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis B e antigen, serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase in the telbivudine group were lower than those in the entecavir group and the difference was statistically significant (p 0.05). After 12 w of treatment, the levels of interferon gamma and interleukin-2 in the telbivudine group were higher than those in the entecavir group. The difference was statistically significant (p 0.05). The main time for the onset of hepatitis in pregnant women with hepatitis B virus infection is the second trimester. The liver function and hepatitis B virusdeoxyribonucleic acid load of hepatitis B virus infected pregnant women with hepatitis are more serious

Prevalence and clinical features of hepatitis E virus infection in pregnant women: A large cohort study in Inner Mongolia, China

Background and aimHepatitis E virus (HEV) infection causes severe maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnant women. These patients are exclusively from resource-limited regions with genotype 1 HEV infection, but not from western countries with genotype 3 prevalence. Since the circulating strains in China have evolved from the waterborne genotype 1 to the zoonotic genotype 4 HEV in the past decades, this study aims to evaluate the prevalence and clinical features of HEV infection in a large cohort of pregnant women in Inner Mongolia, China. MethodsA total of 3278 pregnant women who visited the Inner Mongolia Maternal and Child Care hospital during 2018 were enrolled. Serum samples were examined for anti-HEV IgG and anti-HEV IgM antibodies using ELISA. Demographic information, results of clinical biochemical tests, maternal and neonatal outcomes were collected. ResultsAmong the recruited 3278 pregnant women, 6.0% were anti-HEV IgG antibody positive, 0.3% were anti-HEV IgM antibody positive and 0.3% were positive for both anti-HEV IgG and anti-HEV IgM antibodies. HEV viral RNA was not detected. Pregnant women with recent/ongoing HEV infection indicated by anti-HEV IgM positivity have slightly higher ALT level, and potential risk of developing hyperlipidemia, preterm delivery and neonatal jaundice. ConclusionsThese findings indicated that HEV infection is associated with a possible increase in adverse maternal, fetal and neonatal outcomes in our cohort. Thus, the burden of HEV infection in pregnant women in China appears distinct from resource-limited regions and western countries. Nevertheless, future studies are required to confirm and extend our findings.

Perinatal outcomes of twenty-five human immunodeficiency virus-infected pregnant women: Hacettepe University experience

Objective:To evaluate perinatal outcomes in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected pregnant women in Turkey.Material and Methods:Maternal characteristics, pregnancy complications, laboratory findings including HIV load, CD4 cell count, CD4/CD8 ratio, neonatal features and final HIV status of the baby were retrospectively analyzed.Results:The sample included 26 singleton pregnancies, from 25 HIV-infected women. The ethnicities were Turkish (n=18), East European (n=4), Asian (n=2) and African (n=2). The majority (76.9%) was aware of their HIV status before becoming pregnant. Four cases (15.3%) were diagnosed during pregnancy and two (7.8%) at the onset of labor. The results for median HIV viral load, CD4 count, and CD4/CD8 ratio at birth were 20 copies/mL (0-34 587), 577/mm3 (115-977), and 0.7 (0.1-1.9), respectively. The HIV viral load rate was 5.5% in eighteen women taking anti-retroviral treatment. The rates of gestational diabetes mellitus, gestational hypertension, intrauterine growth restriction, and preterm delivery were 3.8%, 3.8%, 7.6%, and 8% (numbers are 1;1;2;2), respectively. The mean gestational week at birth was 38 weeks and mean birthweight is 2972±329 g. Two babies were congenitally infected with HIV (infection rate of 8.3%). There was one needle-related accident during surgery.Conclusion:Timely diagnosis of HIV infection during pregnancy is important for preventing mother to child transmission. HIV infected women may give birth to HIV negative babies with the help of a multidisciplinary team, composed of perinatology, infectious diseases, and pediatrics specialists.

Hepatitis E virus infection in pregnant women, Argentina

BackgroundHepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is an important cause of acute hepatitis worldwide. In pregnant women, HEV can cause more severe symptoms, with high rates of fatal hepatic failure in endemic countries. However, HEV prevalence and circulation among pregnant women from South America is almost unknown. We aimed to investigate HEV infection in pregnant women for the first time in Argentina.MethodsIgG and IgM anti-HEV antibodies and RNA-HEV were investigated (by ELISA assays and RT-Nested-PCR, respectively) in 202 serum samples from pregnant women collected in the central region of Argentina between 2015 and 2017. A control group of 155 non-pregnant women was included (year 2018).ResultsThe IgG anti-HEV positivity rate was 8.4% (17/202), higher than the 2.6% (4/155) obtained for the non-pregnant women control group, and showing association between pregnancy and HEV infection (p = 0.023, OR = 3.5, CI95% = 1.1–10.5). Women younger than 25 years old presented higher levels of antibodies, and there were no differences in the prevalences between trimesters of pregnancy. Two samples were reactive for IgM anti-HEV, showing recent infections, although no symptoms were registered in these patients. All samples were negative for RNA-HEV amplification.ConclusionsHEV produces infections in pregnant women from Argentina, alerting health teams to consider it as a possible cause of liver disease.

ZIKA Virusinfection in pregnant women in French Guiana: More precarious-more at risk.

A recent study in French Guiana suggested that populations living in precarious neighborhoods were more at risk for Chikungunya CHIKV than those living in more privileged areas. The objective of the present study was to test the hypothesis that Zika virus (ZIKV) infection was more frequent in precarious pregnant women than in non-precarious pregnant women, as reflected by their health insurance status. A multicentric cross-sectional study was conducted in Cayenne hospital including ZIKV pregnant women with serological or molecular proof of ZIKV during their pregnancy between January and December 2016. Health insurance information was recorded at delivery, which allowed separating women in: undocumented foreigners, precarious but with residence permit, and non-precarious. A total of 6654 women were included. Among them 1509 (22,7%) had confirmed ZIKV infection. Most women were precarious (2275/3439) but the proportion of precarious women was significantly greater in ZIKV-confirmed 728/906 (80.4%) than the ZIKV-negatives 1747/2533 (69.0%), p<0.0001. There were 1142 women classified as non-precarious, 1671 were precarious legal residents, and 1435 were precarious and undocumented. Precariousness and undocumented status were associated with a higher prevalence of ZIKV during pregnancy (adjusted prevalence ratio = 1.59 (95%CI = 1.29-1.97), p<0.0001), (adjusted prevalence ratio = 1.5 (95%CI = 1.2-1.8), p<0.0001), respectively. These results illustrate that in French Guiana ZIKV transmission disproportionately affected the socially vulnerable pregnant women, presumably because of poorer housing conditions, and lack of vector control measures in poor neighborhoods.

Seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus infection in pregnant women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection has emerged as a global public health problem that affects millions of people every year.OBJECTIVE: Systematically review data on the prevalence of HEV IgG antibody among pregnant women around the world.DATA SOURCES: Potentially relevant studies were identified by a search of PubMed and ScienceDirect, and by a manual search of the reference lists of identified studies.STUDY SELECTION: Observational studies in English with no age or area restriction. Reviews, duplicate, book chapters, and other irrelevant studies were excluded.DATA EXTRACTION: Independent searching by two investigators (TA, THM).DATA SYNTHESIS: In the 6137 retrieved studies, 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. The studies included 7160 pregnant subjects from 11 countries. Most studies were from Africa. Of the 7160 subjects, 1182 were positive to anti-HEV IgG antibody, and only 66 were anti-HEV IgM antibody positive. The highest seroprevalence of anti-HEV IgG antibody (61.29%) was reported in Sudan and the lowest (3.41%) was reported in Italy. The overall pooled prevalence was 16.51% (95% CI: 0.10-0.23). The heterogeneity level was I2= 98%; P≤.01.CONCLUSION: The seroprevalence of anti-HEV IgG antibody among pregnant women differs by geographic location. Further studies are recommended to evaluate incidence, morbidity, and mortality in those areas where the disease is prevalent.LIMITATIONS: Seroprevalence was only determined for the anti-HEV IgG antibody, which mostly indicates past infection. Heterogeneity was high among the studies in the analysis.CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.

An excerpt of screening for hepatitis B virus infection in pregnant women: US Preventive Services Task Force reaffirmation recommendation statement (2019)

妊娠期筛查HBV感染(简称筛查)可确定有无围产期母婴传播风险的妇女。制订本共识的目的是更新2009年美国预防医学工作组(USPSTF)关于孕妇HBV感染筛查的建议。USPSTF需要重新确认证据更新,以确定是否存在足够的新证据以改变先前建议。USPSTF通过文献复习以及临床病例管理对筛查的有效性和危害性进行了证据审查。最终USPSTF重申其先前的结论:有力证据表明,孕妇筛查HBV感染可带来实质性的益处。USPSTF建议为无明显相关症状或体征的育龄期妇女提供特定的临床预防服务。该建议是基于此服务的利弊端证据以

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasmosis among Human Immunodeficiency Virus infected pregnant women in Abuja Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

Introduction. Toxoplasmosis is a neglected parasitic infection that has economic and epidemiological significance. Data on toxoplasmosis seroprevalence among Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected pregnant women may be of obstetric and neonatal concern. Aim. The study was designed to determine the seroprevalence of Toxoplasmosis and associated risk factors in HIV-positive pregnant women attending the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Abuja, Northcentral Nigeria. Material and methods. This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study. A total of 160 HIV seropositive pregnant women were recruited. Blood samples were collected and tested for anti-T. gondii IgM and IgG using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Structured questionnaires were used to collate the sociodemographic variables of participants. Results. Out of the 160 of HIV seropositive pregnant women, the seroprevalence anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM were 29.4% and 4.4%, respectively. There was no significant association between anti-T. gondii and all sociodemographic variables studied (p&gt;0.05). Conclusion. The overall result of this study revealed that the majority of pregnant women were exposed to toxoplasmosis much earlier in life. Hence, these findings will assist obstetricians and gynecologists in the early diagnosis and management of Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women, especially HIV coinfected ones with IgM seropositivity.

Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Pregnancy: An Update.

Parenteral transmission is the major route of hepatitis C virus transmission in adults; however, vertical transmission is most common in children. There are several factors that have been shown to be associated with vertical transmission of hepatitis C virus, including hepatitis C virus RNA, human immunodeficiency virus coinfection, and peripheral blood mononuclear cell infection. As there is no effective vaccine to prevent hepatitis C virus infection, and there are no human data describing the safety of the new direct acting antiviral agents in pregnancy, the only preventive strategy for vertical transmission is to treat the hepatitis C virus infection before becoming pregnant. Direct acting antiviral agents are interferon-free, and many are also ribavirin-free. Based on animal studies, sofosbuvir plus ledipasvir may be the best safety profile during pregnancy for now; however, it is too early to recommend treating hepatitis C virus-infected pregnant women with these direct acting antiviral agents currently.

Study protocol for the multicentre cohorts of Zika virus infection in pregnant women, infants, and acute clinical cases in Latin America and the Caribbean: the ZIKAlliance consortium

BackgroundThe European Commission (EC) Horizon 2020 (H2020)-funded ZIKAlliance Consortium designed a multicentre study including pregnant women (PW), children (CH) and natural history (NH) cohorts. Clinical sites were selected over a wide geographic range within Latin America and the Caribbean, taking into account the dynamic course of the ZIKV epidemic.MethodsRecruitment to the PW cohort will take place in antenatal care clinics. PW will be enrolled regardless of symptoms and followed over the course of pregnancy, approximately every 4 weeks. PW will be revisited at delivery (or after miscarriage/abortion) to assess birth outcomes, including microcephaly and other congenital abnormalities according to the evolving definition of congenital Zika syndrome (CZS).After birth, children will be followed for 2 years in the CH cohort. Follow-up visits are scheduled at ages 1–3, 4–6, 12, and 24 months to assess neurocognitive and developmental milestones. In addition, a NH cohort for the characterization of symptomatic rash/fever illness was designed, including follow-up to capture persisting health problems.Blood, urine, and other biological materials will be collected, and tested for ZIKV and other relevant arboviral diseases (dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever) using RT-PCR or serological methods. A virtual, decentralized biobank will be created. Reciprocal clinical monitoring has been established between partner sites.Substudies of ZIKV seroprevalence, transmission clustering, disabilities and health economics, viral kinetics, the potential role of antibody enhancement, and co-infections will be linked to the cohort studies.DiscussionResults of these large cohort studies will provide better risk estimates for birth defects and other developmental abnormalities associated with ZIKV infection including possible co-factors for the variability of risk estimates between other countries and regions. Additional outcomes include incidence and transmission estimates of ZIKV during and after pregnancy, characterization of short and long-term clinical course following infection and viral kinetics of ZIKV.Study registrationsclinicaltrials.gov NCT03188731 (PW cohort), June 15, 2017; clinicaltrials.gov NCT03393286 (CH cohort), January 8, 2018; clinicaltrials.gov NCT03204409 (NH cohort), July 2, 2017.

PENGARUH PAKET EDUKASI HBsAg TERHADAP PENGETAHUAN DAN SIKAP IBU HAMIL TRISEMESTER 1 TENTANG HBsAg DI WILAYAH KERJA PUSKESMAS TAMANAN KABUPATEN BONDOWOSO

Latar Belakang:Kejadian infeksi virus hepatitis B pada ibu hamil menjadi perhatian khusus, karena selain dapat menyebabkan masalah kesehatan pada ibu, juga dapat menularkan pada bayi yang dikandungnya, terutama pada proses kelahiran. Tujuan:adapun tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh paket edukasi HbsAg terhadap pengetahuan dan sikap ibu hamil trimester 1 tentang HbsAg. Metodologi:Penelitian ini menggunakan desain penelitian pre eksperimen dengan pendekatan One Group Pretes-Posttest, dengan menggunakan kuesioner, sampel pada penelitian sebanyak 35 responden dengan menggunakan tekhnik total sampling. Kesimpulan: Dari penelitian ini diperoleh hasil yaitu terdapat pengaruh yang signifikan dengan nilai P= 0.000. Hal ini berarti menunjukkan bahwa ada pengaruh paket edukasi HbsAg terhadap pengetahuan dan sikap ibu hamil trimester 1 tentang HbsAg di wilayah kerja puskesmas Tamanan Kabupaten Bondowoso.

Nasal epithelial cells to assess in vitro immune responses to respiratory virus infection in pregnant women with asthma

Respiratory virus-induced asthma exacerbations occur frequently during pregnancy and are associated with adverse outcomes for mother and child. Primary nasal epithelial cells (pNECs) provide a useful method to study immune responses in pregnancy. pNECs were obtained by nasal brushings from pregnant and non-pregnant women with and without asthma. pNECS were infected in vitro with major group Rhinovirus 43 (RV43) and seasonal influenza (H3N2). Following infection, pNECs showed measurable quantities of interferon (IFN)-λ, IL-1β, IL-8, IP-10 and MIP1-α. pNECs provide a safe and effective method for studying respiratory epithelial cell responses during pregnancy.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of respiratory syncytial virus infection in pregnant women

ObjectiveTo describe the clinical presentation and laboratory diagnosis of pregnant women with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. MethodsPregnant women in their second and third trimester were enrolled during the course of routine prenatal care visits when they were asymptomatic within the preceding two weeks (healthy controls) or when they reported symptoms of acute respiratory illness (ARI) of ≤7 days of duration (cases). Clinical outcomes were assessed at enrollment and two weeks after. Re-enrollment was allowed. Nasal-pharyngeal secretions were evaluated for respiratory pathogens by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Sera were tested for RSV-specific antibody responses by Western Blot, microneutralization assay, and palivizumab competitive antibody assay. ResultsDuring the 2015–2016 respiratory virus season, 7 of 65 (11%) pregnant women with ARI at their initial enrollment and 8 of 77 (10%) pregnant women with ARI during the study period (initial or re-enrollment) had PCR-confirmed RSV infection. Four (50%) PCR-confirmed RSV ARI cases reported symptoms of a lower respiratory tract illness (LRTI), one was hospitalized. Combining PCR and serology data, the RSV attack rate at initial enrollment was 12% (8 of 65), and 13% (10 of 77) based on ARI episodes. Among healthy controls, 28 of 88 (32%) had a Western Blot profile suggestive of a recent RSV infection either in the prior and/or current season. ConclusionRSV had an attack rate of 10–13% among ambulatory pregnant women receiving routine prenatal care during the respiratory virus season. The serology results of healthy controls suggest a potentially higher attack rate. Future studies should be aware of the combined diagnostic strength of PCR and serology to identify RSV infection. As maternal RSV vaccine candidates are evaluated to protect young infants, additional priority should be placed on outcomes of pregnant women.

The Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Pregnant Women in Duhok City, Kurdistan Region of Iraq: A Brief Report

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a public health issue, worldwide. HCV infection during pregnancy is associated with vertical transmission. Objectives The current study aimed at investigating the prevalence of HCV in pregnant women. Methods: The current cross sectional study was conducted in Duhok, Kurdistan region of Iraq from January 2016 to December 2018. In the study, pregnant women were tested for HCV antibodies (HCV-Ab) positivity. The infection then was confirmed by HCV-real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: During the study, 37,200 pregnant women were recruited; 15 (0.04%) subjects were positive for HCV-Ab. To confirm the infection, HCV-RT PCR was performed for subjects with positive results and only three cases were confirmed using this method; giving a prevalence of 3/37,200 (0.001%). Conclusions: HCV prevalence in pregnant women was low in Duhok city. Continuous screening is required to control infection and prevent vertical transmission.

Classification of risk areas using a bootstrap-aggregated ensemble approach for reducing Zika virus infection in pregnant women

The Zika (ZIKV) virus has been a potential cause for the birth of children with microcephaly. This situation is unprecedented all over the world, presenting a small number of records in the medical literature. The latest ZIKV epidemic confirms the potential risk of international propagation of mosquito-borne diseases, especially the Aedes albopictus and aegypti species. Therefore, a strategy that aims to define priority areas for intervention is critical to contributing to the prevention and control of these diseases. Hence, this paper proposes the use of an ensemble learning technique, named bootstrap-aggregated ensemble of fine decision trees, to identify epidemic risk areas, reducing its impact on the population, principally in pregnant women. The study analyzed reported cases of ZIKV (n = 112) in Recife, Brazil, during 2015 and 2016. The identification of mosquito activity areas can guarantee a healthy formation for the fetus during and after the gestation through implementation strategies of public policies and further study to control the mosquito vector responsible for these diseases.

Epidemiological trends and virological traits of hepatitis B virus infection in pregnant women and neonates.

In infants, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections are mainly acquired by mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). Current tests for the presence of HBV markers at birth can neither confirm nor exclude MTCT. The aim of this study was to find an early diagnostic marker of HBV MTCT. From 2011 to 2016, we studied a total of 5999 pregnant women who gave birth at our hospital in Shenzhen City, China. HBsAg-positive mothers and their offspring (n=386 pairs) were tested at birth for HBV markers, and 207 infants were followed up at 7-12 months after birth. The HBsAg-seropositive rate of the pregnant women was 12.5%. Additionally, 28.0%, 36.0%, 98.5% and 6.6% of umbilical cord (UC) blood samples of neonates were found to be positive for HBsAg, HBeAg, anti-HBc and HBV-DNA, respectively, whereas for neonatal femoral venous (FV) blood, the percentages were 16.2%, 38.0%, 98.8% and 2.6%, respectively. Mothers with high HBV DNA loads and those who were HBeAg positive were the most likely to have HBV-positive offspring. Immunoprophylaxis failed in five infants: the difference in median HBV DNA titer between UC blood from infants with and without HBV MTCT was statistically significant, and there was no significant difference in HBV DNA titer between UC blood and in peripheral blood of infants with HBV MTCT. In conclusion, we found that HBeAg positivity and high HBV loads are strong risk factors for MTCT of HBV and that the HBV DNA titer in the UC is a good predictor for HBV MTCT.

Zika virus infection in pregnant women in a General Hospital of Veracruz, Mexico

Objectives: To characterize the symptomatology of the patients affected by the Zika virus and to determine the incidence of congenital syndrome due to Zika in pregnant women in the city of Veracruz, Mexico.Methods: Descriptive, retrospective, and longitudinal study. All the patients in gestation period who attended the general hospital from 1 August to 30 November, 2016 and who met the criterion of suspected case of Zika virus infection. General symptoms and signs, gestational age, and search for fetopathies (ultrasound/fetometry at first contact) and finally incidence of Congenital Zika Syndrome at the end of gestation are analyzed.Results: A total of 103 pregnant women who met the definition of a suspected case of Zika virus infection were admitted to the study, 25 were positive for Zika by serum RT-PCR (24%). In the group of patients who tested positive for Zika by RT-PCR, all had conjunctivitis and arthralgia, followed by rash and pruritus. In this group, the headache was only reported in 84% and fever in 68%. No neonates with craniofacial or other malformations associated with congenital Zika syndrome, were reported.Conclusions: In this cohort, it is evident that the symptomatology presented by pregnant women during the first Zika outbreak in Mexico in 2016 is directly related to the proposed operational definition. There were no complications directly related to pregnancy during the acute virosis.

Study on Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Pregnant Women and its Risk Factors

Study on Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Pregnant Women and its Risk Factors