Perinatal outcomes after second trimester detection of amniotic fluid viral genome in asymptomatic patients

Objective: Symptomatic fetal viral infection can affect placental and fetal development and may lead to non-immune hydrops or fetal death. All infections are not detectable by clinical history or ultrasound and a background positivity rate exists in asymptomatic patients. We investigated if intraamniotic presence of viral genome at the time of genetic amniocentesis in asypmtomatic patients affects perinatal outcome. Study design: Six-hundred and eighty-six pregnancies referred for second trimester genetic amniocentesis with a normal ultrasound and fetal karyotype had amniotic fluid multiplex polymerase chain reaction for adeno-, cytomegalo-, Ebstein-Barr-, entero- and parvovirus. Forty asymptomatic patients that were positive for viral genome were matched 2:1 with negative controls. Perinatal outcomes were compared between these groups. Results: Pregnancy complications and perinatal outcomes were similar in the two groups. Conclusion: Asymptomatic fetal viral infection at the time of second trimester amniocentesis does not increase the risk for adverse perinatal outcome.