Parvovirus B19 - a cause of non-hydropic third trimester intrauterine fetal death

Abstract

Objective: Parvovirus В19 or fifth disease is a common viral disease. Clinical symptoms are rash, fever, and sometimes arthralgia. The virus can also affect bone marrow, liver, and heart muscle. — In pregnancy, the virus can cause fetal anaemia, hydrops, and fetal death, mainly during the second trimester. In a prospective study of pregnant women В19 antibodies were found in 60% as a sign of previous infection. One of the women, with no antibodies for Parvovirus В19, suffered an intrauterine fetal death (IUFD) at 37 gestational weeks (GW). There were no hydropic changes. Parvovirus В19 DNA was found in the placenta and in maternal serum at delivery as well as three weeks before the fetal demise. In Danderyd Hospital an extensive protocol for investigation of IUFD has been in use for many years. By this protocol approximately 45% of the IUFDs can be explained.

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