Maternofetal Transmission of AIDS: Frequency of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Nucleic Acid Sequences in Human Fetal DNA

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 166; no. 4; pp. 699 - 703
• Main Authors: Soeiro, Ruy, Rubinstein, Arye, Rashbaum, William K., Lyman, William D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01.10.1992; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - transmission; AIDS; AIDS/HIV; Biological and medical sciences; Disease transmission; DNA; DNA, Viral - analysis; Female; Fetus; Fetus - microbiology; Genome, Viral; HIV 1; HIV-1 - genetics; human immunodeficiency virus 1; Humans; Immunodeficiencies; Immunodeficiencies. Immunoglobulinopathies; Immunopathology; Infections; Major Articles; Medical sciences; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - microbiology; Pregnancy Trimester, Second; Tissue samples; Viruses; Women; Second trimester; Human; Immunopathology; HIV-1 virus; Placental transfer; Transmission; Retroviridae; Exploration; Maternal diseases; In utero; Gestational age; Infection; Virus; Polymerase chain reaction; Fetal diseases; Viral disease; Lentivirinae; Human immunodeficiency virus; Molecular biology
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/166.4.699

Pediatric AIDS is increasing in frequency due to a rise in the number of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected women of childbearing age. Because outcome studies reveal that most children infected peripartum manifest HIV-1-related disease in the first year of life, intrauterine infection has been suspected. Fetal tissues from 23 second-trimester abortuses were examined. The presence of HIV-1 nucleic acid sequences was determined by the polymerase chain reaction and used to define infection of the fetus. By analysis of available tissues, 7 of 23 fetuses were infected, while control fetal tissue was negative. In situ hybridization for HIV-1 DNA showed that only 1 of 8 infected abortuses was positive, while all samples of noninfected tissues revealed no HIV-1 DNA. These studies indicate that maternofetal transmission of HIV-1 may occur in 30% of pregnancies (7/23) by the end of the second trimester.