Alphatorquevirus is the most prevalent virus identified in blood from a matched maternal-infant preterm cohort

Abstract

Objective

To determine the prevalence of virus in a previously uncharacterized matched maternal-infant preterm cohort and test if viral presence or viral load correlate with histologic chorioamnionitis, spontaneous preterm labor or pre-eclampsia.

Study Design

Using qRT-PCR/qPCR we tested plasma or whole blood samples from 56 matched maternal and premature infant dyads for: adenovirus, anellovirus (alphatorquevirus and betatorquevirus), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), enterovirus, human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6), parechovirus, and parvovirus B19.

Result

Viral detection was more common in maternal samples 29/56 (52%) than in cord blood from their infants (4/56 (7%)) (p ≤ .0001). No significant difference in viral load or viral prevalence was identified between pregnancies with and without histologic chorioamnionitis, spontaneous preterm labor or pre-eclampsia.

Conclusion

Despite frequent detection of virus in maternal samples, virus was less frequently detected in the infants. Additionally, there was no association of presence or quantity of virus in maternal blood with histologic chorioamnionitis, spontaneous preterm labor or pre-eclampsia in this small, but well-defined cohort. Future studies are necessary to further characterize the role of virus in placental inflammatory states and pregnancy outcomes.

Keywords:

• Virus
• cord blood
• preterm
• pre-eclampsia
• chorioamnionitis

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Drs. Gregory Storch and Richard Buller for providing positive control materials for CMV, HHV6 and Parvovirus B19.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by Doris Duke Charitable Foundation [2017076] and March of Dimes [BOC 388999].