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Viral studies on amniotic fluid from fetuses with and without abnormalities detected by prenatal sonography
Boris M Petrikovsky1, Steven M Lipson, Mark H Kaplan
1Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow, USA. ddonofri@numc.edu
Objective:
To study the prevalence of viruses (cytomegalovirus [CMV] adenoviruses and enteroviruses) in amniotic fluid samples from fetuses with and without anomalies detected by prenatal sonography.
Study Design:
Fluid samples obtained aseptically from 474 women undergoing genetic amniocentesis at our institutions from 1995 to 1996 were stored at -20 degrees C. Fetal anomalies (renal, central nervous system, gastrointestinal and cardiac) were detected by ultrasound in 162 of the fetuses. At a later date, the samples were retrieved, blinded, and tested by virus isolation techniques for CMV, adenoviruses and enteroviruses. Fisher's exact test was used for statistical analysis.
Results:
The prevalence of viral isolation in amniotic fluid samples in fetuses with anomalies was 2.5% for CMV, 1.3% for adenovirus and 1.2% for enterovirus. Structurally normal fetuses had prevalences of 0.3%, 0% and 0%, respectively.
Conclusion:
The prevalence of viruses, especially CMV, appears to be higher in amniotic fluid from fetuses with sonographically detected anomalies.