Intrauterine diagnosis of cytomegalovirus and rubella infections by amniocentesis.
OBJECTIVE
To establish a correlation between the presence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) or rubella virus in amniotic fluid obtained through amniocentesis and fetal infection.


METHODS
Case series.


METHODS
Five hospitals in the Montreal region. Virology testing was done at the Virology Research Centre, Institut Armand-Frappier, Laval, Que.


METHODS
Thirteen pregnant women infected with CMV, 3 with rubella, their 15 babies and 2 fetuses. Twelve of the women with CMV infection were recruited from a prospective study of CMV infection in pregnancy. Infection in the other women was detected through routine laboratory diagnostic testing.


METHODS
Amniotic fluid samples were cultured for CMV and rubella virus. Congenital infection of the neonates was established through isolation of either virus from pharyngeal mucus and urine specimens collected during the first 3 days of life or from fetal tissue if the pregnancy was terminated.


RESULTS
CMV was cultured from the amniotic fluid of three of the CMV-infected women and from the pharyngeal mucus and urine specimens of their infants. Of the three women with rubella the amniotic fluid of one (who had a twin pregnancy) was positive for rubella virus. After the in-utero death of one fetus she underwent a therapeutic abortion of both. Examination of fetal tissue indicated that both fetuses had been infected with rubella virus. Each of the two other women with rubella gave birth to an uninfected, healthy infant.


CONCLUSIONS
We found a strong correlation between the isolation of CMV or rubella virus from the amniotic fluid and the presence of congenital infection. This suggests that amniocentesis used to detect the presence of a virus is a useful method for the diagnosis of fetal infection.
Skvorc-Ranko
R
R
Virology Research Centre, Institut Armand-Frappier, Laval, Que.
Lavoie
H
H
St-Denis
P
P
Villeneuve
R
R
Gagnon
M
M
Chicoine
R
R
Boucher
M
M
Guimond
J
J
Dontigny
Y
Y
D000328:Adult; D000649:Amniocentesis; D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000151:congenital / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000382:microbiology; D012409:Rubella / Q000382:microbiology*; D012410:Rubella Syndrome, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis; D012412:Rubella virus / Q000302:isolation & purification