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Special Issue "Impact of Viruses on Maternal and Fetal Outcome"

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Guest Editor

Department of Metabolism Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London W12 0HS, UK
Interests: inflammation; neutrophils; complement; preterm birth; vaginal microbiota

Prof. Dr. Graham Taylor

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Guest Editor

Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London W2 1PG, UK
Interests: pre-term birth; inflammation; human retroviral infection

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A healthy pregnancy outcome relies on a robust maternal immune response and protection of the fetus and neonate against adverse effects of infection. There are many viruses such as CMV, HIV, Zika, SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, Hepatitis and HPV that can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes by impacting maternal, fetal and neonatal health. Epidemiological, in vitro and ex vivo studies, including animal studies, have demonstrated associative and causal effects of many viruses on adverse maternal and fetal outcome. This Special Issue is focused on describing the role of viruses on adverse outcome, including mechanistic and observational studies, and explores the therapeutic options.

Research articles, review articles, short communications and case reports with literature reviews are welcomed for submission. For planned papers, it is recommended that a title and short abstract (approx. 100 words) is sent to the Editorial Office to confirm that the subject is within our scope.

Dr. Lynne Sykes
Prof. Dr. Graham Taylor
Guest Editors

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

HIV
SARS-CoV-2
CMV
hepatitis
viruses
preterm birth
intrauterine growth restriction
congenital infection
antivirals
inflammation

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Open AccessArticle

Maternal–Fetal Infections (Cytomegalovirus, Toxoplasma, Syphilis): Short-Term and Long-Term Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Children Infected and Uninfected at Birth

Cinzia Auriti

Silvia Bucci

Domenico Umberto De Rose

and

Pathogens 2022, 11(11), 1278; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11111278 - 31 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 957

Abstract

(1) Background: Infections in pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, premature birth, infections in newborns, and developmental disabilities in babies. Infected infants, symptomatic at birth, can have long-term sequelae, and asymptomatic babies are also at increased risk of developing long-term sensorineural outcomes. Targeted therapy of the pregnant mother can reduce fetal and neonatal harm. (2) Aim of the study: To explore the association between symptoms and time of onset of long-term sequelae in infected children born from mothers who contracted an infection during pregnancy, by a long-term multidisciplinary follow-up. (3) Methods: For up to 2–4 years, we evaluated cognitive, motor, audiological, visual, and language outcomes in infants with symptomatic and asymptomatic congenital infections and in uninfected infants. (4) Results: 186 infants born from women who acquired Cytomegalovirus infection (n = 103), Toxoplasma infection (n = 50), and Syphilis (n = 33) during pregnancy were observed. Among them, 119 infants acquired the infection in utero. Infected infants, symptomatic at birth, obtained lower scores on the Cognitive and Motor Scale on Bayley-III compared to asymptomatic and uninfected infants (p = 0.026; p = 0.049). Many severe or moderate sequelae rose up within the first year of life. At 24 months, we observed sequelae in 24.6% (14/57) of infected children classified as asymptomatic at birth, compared to 68.6% (24/35) of symptomatic ones (χ² = 15.56; p < 0.001); (5) Conclusions: Infected babies symptomatic at birth have a worse prognosis than asymptomatic ones. Long-term sequelae may occur in infected children asymptomatic at birth after the first year of life. Multidisciplinary follow-up until 4–6 years of age should be performed in all infected children, regardless of the presence of symptoms at birth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Viruses on Maternal and Fetal Outcome)

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Open AccessSystematic Review

Impact of Co-Occurrence of Obesity and SARS-CoV-2 Infection during Pregnancy on Placental Pathologies and Adverse Birth Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis

Thaina Ferraz

Samantha J. Benton

Israa Zareef

Oluwatomike Aribaloye

Enrrico Bloise

and

Kristin L. Connor

Pathogens 2023, 12(4), 524; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12040524 - 27 Mar 2023

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Abstract

Obesity is a risk factor for severe COVID-19 disease during pregnancy. We hypothesized that the co-occurrence of high maternal body mass index (BMI) and gestational SARS-CoV-2 infection are detrimental to fetoplacental development. We conducted a systematic review following PRISMA/SWiM guidelines and 13 studies were eligible. In the case series studies (n = 7), the most frequent placental lesions reported in SARS-CoV-2(+) pregnancies with high maternal BMI were chronic inflammation (71.4%, 5/7 studies), fetal vascular malperfusion (FVM) (71.4%, 5/7 studies), maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM) (85.7%, 6/7 studies) and fibrinoids (100%, 7/7 studies). In the cohort studies (n = 4), three studies reported higher rates of chronic inflammation, MVM, FVM and fibrinoids in SARS-CoV-2(+) pregnancies with high maternal BMI (72%, n = 107/149; mean BMI of 30 kg/m²) compared to SARS-CoV-2(−) pregnancies with high BMI (7.4%, n = 10/135). In the fourth cohort study, common lesions observed in placentae from SARS-CoV-2(+) pregnancies with high BMI (n = 187 pregnancies; mean BMI of 30 kg/m²) were chronic inflammation (99%, 186/187), MVM (40%, n = 74/187) and FVM (26%, n = 48/187). BMI and SARS-CoV-2 infection had no effect on birth anthropometry. SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy associates with increased prevalence of placental pathologies, and high BMI in these pregnancies could further affect fetoplacental trajectories. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Viruses on Maternal and Fetal Outcome)

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Special Issue "Impact of Viruses on Maternal and Fetal Outcome"

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