Congenital Viral Infections: Mechanisms of Vertical Transmission and Pathology Findings

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Virology and Viral Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024 | Viewed by 2486

Special Issue Editor

Pathology Unit, Azienda USL–IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy
Interests: perinatal pathology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Congenital viral infections may affect the fetus at any time during pregnancy, passing from the mother to the baby through the placenta. Mothers may be asymptomatic or present aspecific flu-like symptoms. The main viruses in which vertical transmission is recognized are Cytomegalovirus, Parvovirus, Rubella, Herpes Viruses, Chickenpox, and Zika. COVID-19’s incidence of vertical transmission and its effects on the fetus are still unknown. Viruses present specific mechanisms of mother-to-fetus spread, passing or disrupting the placental barrier. Characteristic fetal damage may be detected by ultrasound and further investigated by magnetic resonance, especially encephalic malformations. Congenital viral damage may vary from mild to severe fetal damage, or lead to intrauterine death. Specific histological findings may be observed in the fetal or placental tissues.

This Special Issue will cover the main aspects of congenital viral infections, including the mechanisms of placental passage, the prenatal characteristics, and histopathological features in case of autopsy and/or placental examination.

Dr. Maria P. Bonasoni
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • fetal pathology
  • placental pathology
  • placental barrier disruption
  • viral infection in pregnancy
  • fetal/neonatal outcome in congenital viral infections

Published Papers (1 paper)

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19 pages, 1568 KiB  
Systematic Review
Maternal Fever and Reduced Fetal Movement as Predictive Risk Factors for Adverse Neonatal Outcome in Cases of Congenital SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Meta-Analysis of Individual Participant Data from Case Reports and Case Series
by Elena S. Bernad, Florentina Duica, Panagiotis Antoniadis, Andreea Moza, Diana Lungeanu, Marius Craina, Brenda C. Bernad, Edida Maghet, Ingrid-Andrada Vasilache, Anca Laura Maghiari, Diana-Aurora Arnautu and Daniela Iacob
Viruses 2023, 15(7), 1615; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15071615 - 24 Jul 2023
Viewed by 2063
Abstract
Objectives: To determine risk factors for primary and secondary adverse neonatal outcomes in newborns with congenital SARS-CoV-2 infection. Data sources: PubMed/MEDLINE and Google Scholar from January 2020 to January 2022. Study eligibility criteria: newborns delivered after 24 weeks of gestation with confirmed/possible congenital [...] Read more.
Objectives: To determine risk factors for primary and secondary adverse neonatal outcomes in newborns with congenital SARS-CoV-2 infection. Data sources: PubMed/MEDLINE and Google Scholar from January 2020 to January 2022. Study eligibility criteria: newborns delivered after 24 weeks of gestation with confirmed/possible congenital SARS-CoV-2 infection, according to standard classification criteria. Methods: Execution of the IPD analyses followed the PRISMA-IPD statement. Univariate non-parametric tests compared numerical data distributions. Fisher’s exact or Chi-square test determined categorical variables’ statistical significance. Multivariate logistic regression revealed risk factors for adverse neonatal outcome. Results: Maternal fever was associated with symptomatic congenital infection (OR: 4.55, 95% CI: 1.33–15.57). Two-thirds of women that reported decreased fetal movements were diagnosed with IUFD (p-value = 0.001). Reduced fetal movement increased the risk of intrauterine fetal death by 7.84 times (p-value = 0.016, 95% CI: 2.23–27.5). The risk of stillbirth decreased with gestational age at the time of maternal infection (p-value < 0.05, OR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.79–0.97). Conclusions: Maternal fever and perception of reduced fetal movement may be predictive risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcome in cases with congenital SARS-CoV-2 infection. Full article
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