Pregnancy loss ascribable to parvovirus B19/erythrovirus is associated with a high prevalence of trisomy.

Introduction: In most cases of stillbirth, the cause is still unknown.

Aim: The impact of parvovirus B19/erythrovirus infection and chromosomal abnormalities in stillborns and neonatal deaths.

Material And Methods: 57 consecutive cases, 23 second-trimester abortions (from gestational weeks 16 to 22), 27 intrauterine fetal deaths (from gestational week 22 onwards) and 7 early neonatal deaths were examined for intrauterine parvovirus B19 infection with PCR, dot blot, Southern blot, in situ hybridization, specific IgM and IgG antibodies in maternal serum, fetal serum, placenta and fetal liver tissue. Chromosomal analysis and extensive histopathology were performed on all fetuses.

Results: A sensitive PCR was developed and enabled detection of 9 (15.8%) parvovirus B19-infected fetuses. Parvovirus B19 IgM and IgG antibody tests were in good concordance with PCR findings. 5 of 9 infected fetuses had a concurrent abnormality that could have contributed to fetal death, 4 of which (44%) were trisomy karyotypes, compared to 0/48 in the non-B19-infected group (p = 0.0004).

Conclusion: Combination of PCR and specific parvovirus B19 IgG/IgM tests enabled high detection rates of parvovirus B19 infection in this series of 57 consecutive pregnancies with adverse outcomes. The high mortality rate in the B19-infected fetuses was partly explained by a high occurrence of fetal trisomy, compared to non-B19-infected fetuses, suggesting a higher vulnerability of the former. After correction for this concomitant karyotype abnormality, the percentage of presumably lethal infection due to parvovirus B19 was 8.8%.