Prenatal diagnosis of human parvovirus B19 in nonimmune hydrops fetalis by polymerase chain reaction.
OBJECTIVE
Nonimmune hydrops fetalis is a potentially lethal condition reflecting the clinical manifestation of several pathologic processes. Recently maternal infection by human parvovirus B19 has been reported to result in nonimmune fetal hydrops. We sought to develop a rapid and sensitive test to detect the presence of this agent in utero.


METHODS
Using a cloned isolate of the virus, we developed an assay based on enzymatic amplification of a segment of the human parvovirus B19 genome that allows direct detection of this agent in samples of fetal blood and amniotic fluid.


RESULTS
The method detected as few as 100,000 genome equivalences and was specific for the viral genome alone. We used this assay to evaluate nine fetuses initially seen with nonimmune hydrops. Three cases were found to be positive for the human parvovirus B19 genome.


CONCLUSIONS
The method is powerful in that it is rapid, sensitive, and simple. This assay may have general applicability in evaluation of nonimmune hydrops and in documentation of the natural history of fetal human parvovirus infections.
Kovacs
B W
BW
Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles.
Carlson
D E
DE
Shahbahrami
B
B
Platt
L D
LD
D016731:Erythema Infectiosum / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death; D006801:Humans; D015160:Hydrops Fetalis / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000401:mortality; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008499:Medical Records; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D016732:Parvovirus B19, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes