Open AccessHuman Cytomegalovirus Transmission from the Uterus tothe Placenta Correlates with the Presence of Pathogenic Bacteria andMaternalImmunity
Author(s) -
Lenore Pereira,
Ekaterina Maidji,
Susan McDonagh,
Olga Genbačev,
Susan J. Fisher
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.617
H-Index - 292
eISSN - 1070-6321
pISSN - 0022-538X
DOI - 10.1128/jvi.77.24.13301-13314.2003
Subject(s) - biology , cytomegalovirus , decidua , placenta , syncytiotrophoblasts , virology , human cytomegalovirus , uterus , herpes simplex virus , immune system , immunology , virus , pregnancy , herpesviridae , fetus , viral disease , endocrinology , genetics
Prenatal cytomegalovirus infection may cause pregnancy complications such as intrauterine growth restriction and birth defects. How virus from the mother traverses the placenta is unknown. PCR analysis of biopsy specimens of the maternal-fetal interface revealed that DNA sequences from cytomegalovirus were commonly found with those of herpes simplex viruses and pathogenic bacteria. Cytomegalovirus DNA and infected cell proteins were found more often in the decidua than in the placenta, suggesting that the uterus functions as a reservoir for infection. In women with low neutralizing titers, cytomegalovirus replicated in diverse decidual cells and placental trophoblasts and capillaries. In women with intermediate to high neutralizing titers, decidual infection was suppressed and the placenta was spared. Overall, cytomegalovirus virions and maternal immunoglobulin G were detected in syncytiotrophoblasts, villus core macrophages, and dendritic cells. These results suggest that the outcome of cytomegalovirus infection depends on the presence of other pathogens and coordinated immune responses to viral replication at the maternal-fetal interface.