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Updated: Aug 14, 2026
Human Placental and Decidual Organ Cultures to Study Infections at the Maternal-fetal Interface
Published on: July 21, 2016
Routine placental histopathology findings from women testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy: Retrospective
Charlotte S Colley1,2, J Ciaran Hutchinson3,4, Sara M Whitten1,2
1University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Objective:
To assess the impact of maternal Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection on placental histopathological findings in an unselected population and evaluate the potential effect on the fetus, including the possibility of vertical transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
Design:
Retrospective cohort comparative study of placental histopathological findings in patients with COVID-19, compared with controls.
Setting:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, placentas were studied from women at University College Hospital London who reported and/or tested positive for COVID-19.
Population:
Of 10 508 deliveries, 369 (3.5%) women had COVID-19 during pregnancy, with placental histopathology available for 244 women.
Methods:
Retrospective review of maternal and neonatal characteristics, where placental analysis had been performed. This was compared with available, previously published, histopathological findings from placentas of unselected women.
Main Outcome Measures:
Frequency of placental histopathological findings and relevant clinical outcomes.
Results:
Histological abnormalities were reported in 117 of 244 (47.95%) cases, with the most common diagnosis being ascending maternal genital tract infection. There was no statistically significant difference in the frequency of most abnormalities compared with controls. There were four cases of COVID-19 placentitis (1.52%, 95% CI 0.04%-3.00%) and one possible congenital infection, with placental findings of acute maternal genital tract infection. The rate of fetal vascular malperfusion (FVM), at 4.5%, was higher compared with controls (p = 0.00044).
Conclusions:
In most cases, placentas from pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus do not show a significantly increased frequency of pathology. Evidence for transplacental transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is lacking from this cohort. There is a need for further study into the association between FVM, infection and diabetes.
