[Detection of the asymptomatic infection by human papillomavirus in pregnant women and neonates].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the state of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in similar average-aged pregnant women of different gestational periods, in the puerperium and neonates.


METHODS
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was employed to detect HPV-6, 11, 16 and 18 DNA in 30 pregnant women in the first trimester, 42 in the second and 31 in the third (who were followed up to their puerperium), and 30 non-pregnant women asking for intrauterine device in our out-patient clinic were taken as controls. Average age in the four groups showed no significant difference (P > 0.05). Samples from cervical, vaginal exfoliated cells, maternal peripheral blood and nasopharyngeal secretion of the newborns were examined respectively.


RESULTS
(1) In the first trimester, HPV-DNA was detected in the cervical, vaginal exfoliated cells of 5 cases and in the maternal peripheral blood of 7 cases. (2) In the second trimester, HPV-DNA was detected in the cervical, vaginal exfoliated cells of 12 cases and in the maternal peripheral blood of 11 cases. (3) In the third trimester, HPV-DNA was detected in the cervical, vaginal exfoliated cells of 23 cases and in the maternal peripheral blood of 18 cases. (4) In the puerperium, HPV-DNA was detected in samples of cervical, vaginal exfoliated cells of 8 cases and maternal peripheral blood of 7 cases. (5) In the control group, HPV-DNA was detected in the cervical, vaginal exfoliated cells of 8 cases and in the maternal peripheral blood of 6 cases. (6) Consecutive examinations were carried out in 31 pregnant women from the third trimester, through labor to 6 weeks of postpartum. HPV-DNA was positive in the cervical, vaginal samples of 17, 21 and 8 cases, respectively, according to the perinatal periods, and in the maternal peripheral blood of 14, 13 and 7 cases, respectively. The result through the above gestational stages was fluctuated in the cervical, vaginal samples of 6 cases and in the maternal peripheral blood of 7 cases. (7) Successive examinations in infants at time of birth, 48-72 h and 6 weeks after birth showed positive HPV-DNA in the nasopharyngeal secretion of 13, 6 cases and 1 case with respect to the examining periods. (8) The positive cases were mainly infected by HPV-16, 18.


CONCLUSIONS
(1) Infective rate of HPV is statistically significant in the third trimester, but no significant difference exists among the first trimester, the second trimester, the puerperium or the non-pregnancies. (2) Examining consecutively, the HPV positive rate is found to be decreased after delivery, the positive expression of HPV during the gestational periods exhibited fluctuation. (3) Infective rate of HPV in the neonatal nasopharyngeal specimens tends to decrease with time after delivery.
Peng
P
P
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, General Hospital, Guangzhou Military Area, Guangzhou 510010, China.
Weng
X
X
Gu
Z
Z
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D027383:Papillomaviridae; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000635:transmission; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000635:transmission