Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Clin Perinatol 2019 Jun 28;46(2):235-256. Epub 2019 Mar 28.

Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Magee-Womens Hospital, 300 Halket Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. Electronic address:

Viral infections are common complications of pregnancy. Although some infections have maternal sequelae, many viral infections can be perinatally transmitted to cause congenital or chronic infection in fetuses or infants. Treatments of such infections are geared toward reducing maternal symptoms and complications and toward preventing maternal-to-child transmission of viruses. Read More

AIDS Res Treat 2019 17;2019:7134908. Epub 2019 Mar 17.

Department of Public Health, Hawassa Health Science College, Hawassa, Ethiopia.

Background: The burden of Human Immune Deficiency Virus or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is high in sub-Saharan countries including Ethiopia which have over two-thirds of the global HIV burden. Many would argue that consistent condom use is not most effective method for HIV prevention. Condoms offer protection against unwanted pregnancy and some sexually transmitted infections including Human Immune Deficiency Virus, when used correctly and consistently. Read More

J Trop Pediatr 2019 Apr 21. Epub 2019 Apr 21.

Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal Fluminense, RJ 24.033-900, Brazil.

Objective: To better understand the clinical spectrum and course of congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) during the first 18 months of life of children whose mothers had rash during pregnancy.

Methods: This longitudinal observational study evaluated the clinical progress from birth until 18 months of life of children of mothers who developed rash during or up to 3 months before gestation. Maternal rash occurred from November 2015 to May 2017. Read More

Cell Death Dis 2019 Apr 18;10(5):337. Epub 2019 Apr 18.

Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.

Maternal influenza infection during pregnancy was reported multiple times as the possible cause of many defects and congenital anomalies. Apart from several cases of influenza-related miscarriage during various trimesters of pregnancy, some epidemiological data suggest a link between maternal influenza infection and genetic abnormalities in offspring. However, there are no reports yet describing how maternal influenza alters cellular pathways at early stages of development to result in congenital defects in the fetus. Read More

J Am Heart Assoc 2019 May;8(9):e011264

1 Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics Xiangya School of Public Health Central South University Hunan China.

Background At present, the association between maternal viral infection and risk of congenital heart diseases ( CHD ) in offspring is uncertain; additionally, a complete overview is missing. A meta-analysis of observational studies was performed to address the question of whether women who had a history of viral infection in early pregnancy were at an increased risk of CHD in offspring, compared with mothers without viral infection. Methods and Results Unrestricted searches were conducted, with an end date parameter of July 15, 2018, of PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, Cochrane Libraries, and Chinese databases, to identify studies that met prestated inclusion criteria. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019 Apr 17;13(4):e0007343. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; St. Paul, MN, United States of America.

Congenital Zika virus (ZIKV) infection was first linked to birth defects during the American outbreak in 2015/2016. It has been proposed that mutations unique to the Asian/American-genotype explain, at least in part, the ability of Asian/American ZIKV to cause congenital Zika syndrome (CZS). Recent studies identified mutations in ZIKV infecting humans that arose coincident with the outbreak in French Polynesia and were stably maintained during subsequent spread to the Americas. Read More

Andrology 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Urology, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.

Background: Nowadays, serodiscordant couples (SDCs) with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected men have the chance to conceive safely, giving birth with a minimum risk of cross-infection.

Objective: To assess the impact of male HIV and HCV infection on the assisted reproductive technologies (ART) outcomes in SDCs, with HIV or HCV seropositive men and negative partners.

Materials And Methods: Of 153 couples: 24 in Group 1 (HIV-seropositive men), 60 in Group 2 (HCV-seropositive men) and 69 in Group 3 (controls). Read More

Genet Mol Biol 2019 Apr 11. Epub 2019 Apr 11.

Sistema Nacional de Informação sobre Agentes Teratogênicos (SIAT), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.

In 1990, the first Teratogen Information Service in Brazil (SIAT) was implemented in the Medical Genetics Service at Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre. SIAT is a free-to-use information service both to health professionals and the general population, especially to women who are pregnant or planning pregnancy. The main objective of this paper is to present the activities of SIAT in its initial years (1990-2006), compared to those in the last decade (2007-2017). Read More

Pan Afr Med J 2019 25;32(Suppl 1):15. Epub 2019 Jan 25.

Global Public Health Solutions, Atlanta GA, USA.

Introduction: strong PMTCT-ART service linkages ensure continuity of care for healthier mothers and children born HIV free. Program data showed weak PMTCT- ART linkages in military health facilities. We conducted a study to assess the PMTCT-adult ART service linkage in two Nigerian military health facilities in Kaduna State. Read More

Pan Afr Med J 2019 22;32(Suppl 1). Epub 2019 Jan 22.

Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program, Abuja-Nigeria.

Introduction: human cytomegalovirus (CMV) has remained a cause of morbidity and mortality in pregnancy and immunocompromised patients. CMV is transmissible through blood transfusion. We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study to assess blood donor safety and to determine the prevalence and associated factors for CMV infection among blood donors in Minna, Nigeria. Read More

Transl Psychiatry 2019 Apr 12;9(1):135. Epub 2019 Apr 12.

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.

Women exposed to a variety of viral and bacterial infections during pregnancy have an increased risk of giving birth to a child with autism, schizophrenia or other neurodevelopmental disorders. Preclinical maternal immune activation (MIA) models are powerful translational tools to investigate mechanisms underlying epidemiological links between infection during pregnancy and offspring neurodevelopmental disorders. Our previous studies documenting the emergence of aberrant behavior in rhesus monkey offspring born to MIA-treated dams extends the rodent MIA model into a species more closely related to humans. Read More

Hawaii J Med Public Health 2019 Apr;78(4):123-127

Saint Francis High School, Mountain View, CA (WJL).

Zika virus (ZIKV) is spread among human populations primarily through the bite of mosquitoes. While most ZIKV infections are asymptomatic or cause self-limited symptoms, the major concerns are its association with Guillain-Barré Syndrome and fetal microcephaly together with other birth defects, known as congenital Zika syndrome (CZS). This article reviews the confirmed Zika cases in the continental United States (U. Read More

J Innate Immun 2019 Apr 10:1-10. Epub 2019 Apr 10.

Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Division of Immunology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa,

In this review, we discuss the often overlooked tissue-resident fetal macrophages, Hofbauer cells, which are found within the chorionic villi of the human placenta. Hofbauer cells have been shown to have a phenotype associated with regulatory and anti-inflammatory functions. They are thought to play a crucial role in the regulation of pregnancy and in the maintenance of a homeostatic environment that is crucial for fetal development. Read More

Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2019 4;61:e19. Epub 2019 Apr 4.

Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Zika virus (ZIKV) clinical presentation and frequency/duration of shedding need further clarification. Symptomatic ZIKV-infected individuals identified in two hospitals in Sao Paulo State, Brazil, were investigated regarding clinical characteristics, shedding in body fluids, and serodynamics. Ninety-four of 235 symptomatic patients (Site A: 58%; Site B: 16%) had Real-Time PCR-confirmed ZIKV infection; fever, headache and gastrointestinal symptoms were less frequent, and rash was more frequent compared to ZIKV-negative patients. Read More

BMJ 2019 Mar 26;364:l687. Epub 2019 Mar 26.

Unicef Office of Research, Innocenti, Florence, Italy.

Vaccine 2019 Apr 4. Epub 2019 Apr 4.

Global Medicines Program, Schools of Pharmacy and Public Health, BOX 357631, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7631, USA. Electronic address:

Although major reductions in maternal and child mortality were achieved in the Millennium Development Goals era, progress must be accelerated to meet Sustainable Development Goals health targets by 2030. An estimated 2.7 million neonatal deaths and 2. Read More

Placenta 2019 Mar 22;78:1-9. Epub 2019 Feb 22.

Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA; Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA. Electronic address:

Introduction: Metabolic stress (e.g., gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and obesity) and infections are common during pregnancy, impacting fetal development and the health of offspring. Read More

ACS Infect Dis 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases , Emory University School of Medicine , Atlanta , Georgia 30322 , United States.

Zika virus (Zika) was recently responsible for a massive epidemic that spread throughout Latin America and beyond. Though Zika is typically asymptomatic or self-limiting, the sheer numbers of Zika infections led to the identification of unexpected phenotypes including sexual transmission, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and teratogenicity. Thousands of infants in South, Central, and North America have now been born with microcephaly or one of a number of fetal anomalies constituting the congenital Zika syndrome (CZS). Read More

Pan Afr Med J 2019 21;32(Suppl 1). Epub 2019 Jan 21.

Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria.

Introduction: rubella virus usually causes a mild disease, but maternal infection early in pregnancy often leads to birth defects known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). Rubella remains poorly controlled in Africa despite being a vaccine preventable disease. The objective of this study was to determine the risk factor of expose of rubella and prevalence of rubella IgG antibodies among pregnant women in Zaria. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2019 Apr;98(14):e15092

Department of Gastroenterology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Fujian Province, China.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of telbivudine (LdT) and tenofovir (TDF) for preventing hepatitis B virus (HBV) vertical transmission for HBV-positive pregnant women.Pregnant women (n = 145) from January 2013 to June 2017 were enrolled when they met inclusion criteria, which included HBV DNA ≥1.0 × 10 copies/mL and increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. Read More

J Pregnancy 2019 25;2019:8435019. Epub 2019 Feb 25.

Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Mae Sot 63110, Thailand.

Objectives: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) was believed to have minimal impact on pregnancy outcomes apart from the risk of perinatal transmission. In more recent years, there have been reports of adverse associations, most consistently preterm birth (PTB), but this is in the context of high rates of caesarean section. The aim of this study was to explore the association of HBV on pregnancy outcomes in marginalized, low-income populations on the Myanmar-Thailand border. Read More

Biosci Trends 2019 Mar 31. Epub 2019 Mar 31.

Laboratory for Reproductive Immunology, Hospital & Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University.

Acute upper respiratory tract infections (AURTIs) are common and self-limited in people with normal immunity but sometimes lead to poor clinical outcomes under specific conditions such as pregnancy if not treated appropriately. Chinese herbal medicines (CHM), which are widely used to treat AURTIs, have proven to be effective in preclinical and clinical studies. This review focuses on the bioactivities of typical CHM and the adverse reactions they cause, and especially issues with reproductive safety when treating AURTIs. Read More

Hum Reprod 2019 Mar 30. Epub 2019 Mar 30.

Virus, Lifestyle and Genes, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Study Question: Is the risk of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) increased in children conceived after fertility treatment, and is an observed association caused by specific types of fertility treatment or by factors associated with the underlying infertility?

Summary Answer: The risk of JIA in children conceived after fertility treatment (any and specific types of fertility treatment) was not convincingly affected when compared with children born to fertile women.

What Is Known Already: It has been suggested that fertility treatment may affect the development of the immune system and thereby increase the risk of developing autoimmune diseases, including JIA.

Study Design, Size, Duration: This retrospective population-based cohort study included all live-born children in Denmark between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2012 (n = 1 084 184). Read More

Clin Infect Dis 2019 Mar 29. Epub 2019 Mar 29.

Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-PHPT, Chiang Mai University, Thailand.

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) use from 28 weeks gestational age to 2 months postpartum to prevent mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus, there was no significant effect of maternal TDF use on maternal or infant bone mineral density 1 year after delivery/birth. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT01745822. Read More

Biomed Res Int 2019 21;2019:9154918. Epub 2019 Feb 21.

Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine is a critical approach to prevent HBV transmission from mother to child. However, despite high HBV prevalence, evidence about the preference of women of productive age for HBV vaccine in Vietnam was constrained. This study aims to explore the preference and willingness to pay (WTP) for the HBV vaccine in Vietnamese women in productive age. Read More

Obstet Gynecol 2019 Apr;133(4):739-753

Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas; and the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.

Vaccines administered to women during pregnancy can provide protection against serious infectious diseases for the mother, for the newborn, or both. Maternal immunization boosts the concentration of maternal antibodies that can be transferred across the placenta to directly protect infants too young to be immunized. In addition, indirect protection through prevention of maternal infection and through breast milk antibodies can be achieved through maternal immunization. Read More

Med Microbiol Immunol 2019 Mar 20. Epub 2019 Mar 20.

Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Addenbrookes Hospital, Level 5, Hills Road, Box 157, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.

Understanding how the T cell memory response directed towards human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) develops and changes over time while the virus persists is important. Whilst HCMV primary infection and periodic reactivation is well controlled by T cell responses in healthy people, when the immune system is compromised such as post-transplantation, during pregnancy, or underdeveloped such as in new-born infants and children, CMV disease can be a significant problem. In older people, HCMV infection is associated with increased risk of mortality and despite overt disease rarely being seen there are increases in HCMV-DNA in urine of older people suggesting that there is a change in the efficacy of the T cell response following lifelong infection. Read More

J Virol 2019 Mar 20. Epub 2019 Mar 20.

Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

Arthropod-borne viruses represent a significant public health threat worldwide yet there are few antiviral therapies or prophylaxis targeting these pathogens. In particular, the development of novel antivirals for high-risk populations such as pregnant women is essential to prevent devastating disease such as that which was experienced with the recent outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Americas. One potential avenue to identify new and pregnancy-acceptable antiviral compounds is to repurpose well-known and widely used FDA approved drugs. Read More

Rev Soc Bras Med Trop 2019 Mar 14;52:e20180351. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Centro de Vigilância Epidemiológica "Prof. Alexandre Vranjac", São Paulo, SP, Brasil.

Introduction: The state of São Paulo has been monitoring cases of microcephaly and pregnant women presenting with acute rash, through CeVeSP.

Methods: This was a descriptive study focusing on pregnant women with rash and the outcome of their pregnancy, based on the notifications through the CeVeSP.

Results: During 2016, 2,209 cases of pregnant women with rash were reported and investigated. Read More

BMC Vet Res 2019 Mar 18;15(1):95. Epub 2019 Mar 18.

Department of Health Management, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Canada.

Background: No comprehensive studies have been carried out on the infectious causes of abortion in Kenyan dairy cattle herds. A survey was carried out to determine the seroprevalence of antibodies against Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (BVDV), Brucella abortus (BA) and Neospora caninum (NC) among dairy cattle herds in Nakuru County, a major dairying area in Kenya. A prospective sero-epidemiological study was also undertaken to investigate the effects of BVDV, BA and NC on the occurrence of bovine abortion in dairy cattle herds, where monthly rectal palpations for pregnancy were performed, and monthly serum samples were tested for antibodies to the 3 pathogens. Read More

J Immunol Res 2019 7;2019:7375217. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Blvd, Galveston, Texas, USA.

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is a rodent disease that can be transmitted to humans. A majority of persons infected with LCMV have only minor symptoms; however, it can cross the placental barrier during pregnancy and cause congenital defects in the fetus. Some viral infections early in gestation are hypothesized to lead to worse outcomes compared to those acquired during late gestation; however, LCMV has not been studied in this context. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2019 Mar 15;19(1):259. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital, Banjul, The Gambia.

Background: Infection with Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a serious public health problem worldwide, with over 360 million carriers. Sixty million of these are resident in Sub-saharan Africa. Hepatitis B infection is the cause of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is the second commonest cause of death from cancers among women in The Gambia. Read More

Vaccine 2019 Apr 11;37(15):2099-2105. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA; Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA; South African Center for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy is associated with microcephaly and other birth defects, collectively termed Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS). During the epidemic in 2015-16, ZIKV spread through the Americas and quickly joined the list of other known teratogenic pathogens, TORCH. Multiple ZIKV vaccines have been developed for protection of pregnant women and women of childbearing age. Read More

Semin Reprod Med 2018 05 13;36(3-04):177-182. Epub 2019 Mar 13.

Program in Reproductive Endocrinology and Gynecology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland.

Since Barker's publication of "The fetal and infant origins of adult disease" in 1990, significant emphasis has been placed on the intrauterine environment and its effect on adult disease. Historical events such as the Dutch Famine and the 1918 Flu Pandemic have provided organic data about the epigenetic changes that can result from famine, infection, and stress. Mechanisms that allow for intrauterine survival may predispose to adult disease states when the fetus enters a world of abundance. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019 03 11;13(3):e0007246. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

Aggeu Magalhães Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.

Laboratory confirmation of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy is challenging due to cross-reactivity with dengue virus (DENV) and limited knowledge about the kinetics of anti-Zika antibody responses during pregnancy. We described ZIKV and DENV serological markers and the maternal-fetal transfer of antibodies among mothers and neonates after the ZIKV microcephaly outbreak in Northeast Brazil (2016). We included 89 microcephaly cases and 173 neonate controls at time of birth and their mothers. Read More

Prev Vet Med 2019 Apr 22;165:71-75. Epub 2019 Feb 22.

Laboratory of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776, Warsaw, Poland.

A longitudinal study was conducted in a single dairy goat herd to investigate the relationship between subclinical small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV) infection in does and litter size (LS) or birth body weight of kids (BW). Each year kids born to seropositive and seronegative does were weighed before the first consumption of colostrum. LS and BW of each kid were recorded. Read More

Histopathology 2019 Mar 9. Epub 2019 Mar 9.

Imperial College, Faculty of Medicine, London, UK.

Aims: Post-transplant thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) is a rare and clinically challenging finding in renal transplant biopsies. In addition to recurrent atypical haemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), TMA in renal transplants is associated with various conditions, such as calcineurin-inhibitor (CNI) treatment, antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR), viral infections, sepsis, pregnancy, malignancies or surgery. The therapeutic implications of this diagnosis are considerable. Read More

Med Lett Drugs Ther 2019 Feb;61(1566):32

PLoS One 2019 6;14(3):e0212656. Epub 2019 Mar 6.

Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States of America.

Background: Female positive/male negative HIV-serodiscordant couples express a desire for children and may engage in condomless sex to become pregnant. Current guidelines recommend antiretroviral treatment in HIV-serodiscordant couples, yet HIV RNA viral suppression may not be routinely assessed or guaranteed and pre-exposure prophylaxis may not be readily available. Therefore, options for becoming pregnant while limiting HIV transmission should be offered and accessible to HIV-affected couples desiring children. Read More

Med J Aust 2019 Apr 5;210(6):281-284. Epub 2019 Mar 5.

PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Perth, WA.

Pregnancy is known to be a time of increased susceptibility to acquiring to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and this increased maternal risk places the unborn child at risk of vertical transmission. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) involves the provision of antiretroviral therapy to an HIV-negative individual with ongoing risk of HIV exposure to limit the likelihood of HIV transmission. The inclusion of PrEP as part of a comprehensive strategy is recognised as an effective and safe means of reducing HIV infection in serodiscordant couples, thereby reducing the risk of vertical transmission of HIV. Read More

PLoS Med 2019 Mar 5;16(3):e1002755. Epub 2019 Mar 5.

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.

Background: In 2015, high rates of microcephaly were reported in Northeast Brazil following the first South American Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak. Reported microcephaly rates in other Zika-affected areas were significantly lower, suggesting alternate causes or the involvement of arboviral cofactors in exacerbating microcephaly rates.

Methods And Findings: We merged data from multiple national reporting databases in Brazil to estimate exposure to 9 known or hypothesized causes of microcephaly for every pregnancy nationwide since the beginning of the ZIKV outbreak; this generated between 3. Read More

Ann Glob Health 2018 Oct 10;84(3):541-550. Epub 2018 Oct 10.

Department of Health Services Research and Administration, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 984350 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-4350, US.

Background: According to the U.S. State Department's Refugee Processing Center and the U. Read More

Paediatr Child Health 2019 Feb 15;24(1):42-49. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Canadian Paediatric Society, Infectious Diseases and Immunization Committee, Ottawa, Ontario.

The benefits of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing in pregnancy, when combined with appropriate maternal antiretroviral therapy and intrapartum and postnatal prophylaxis, are well established. The vertical rate of transmission of HIV in North America is now well below 2%. Efforts must continue to ensure that these benefits are sustained. Read More

Reprod Health 2019 Mar 4;16(1):27. Epub 2019 Mar 4.

School of Biomedical and Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, P.O Box 196, Gondar, Ethiopia.

Background: Sexually transmitted infections constitute a major public health problem worldwide. Syphilis and HIV infections cause various adverse pregnancy outcomes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of HIV and syphilis infections among pregnant women at Gondar Family Guidance Association clinic, northwest Ethiopia. Read More

Virulence 2019 12;10(1):207-221

a Enterovirus Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology , Faculty of Medicine, Slovak Medical University , Bratislava , Slovak Republic.

Enteroviral infections are frequent, often asymptomatic in humans and during gravidity. The present study is an extension of our previous investigations where we had shown pancreatitis in challenged pups of CVB4-E2-infected dams. Present investigation describes the effect of gestational infection with this virus on the pancreas of both dams and their challenged pups. Read More

Vet Microbiol 2019 Mar 25;230:95-100. Epub 2019 Jan 25.

Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy.

Vertical transmission of bovine papillomavirus (BPV) infection was investigated on livers and kidneys of four foetuses from cows suffering from BPV-2-associated urothelial cancers of the urinary bladder. PCR analysis revealed the presence of BPV-2 E5 DNA in the livers and kidneys of two foetuses. Amplified DNA fragments, composed of 502 bp, showed a 100% homology with BPV-2 sequences (GenBank accession number: M20219. Read More

Infect Dis Poverty 2019 Mar 4;8(1):16. Epub 2019 Mar 4.

Department for the Control of Disease, Epidemics and Pandemics, Ministry of Public Health, Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Background: Although Africa is a region of hyper endemicity to viral hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) infections, there is limited data on their related burden among pregnant women. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the magnitude of these infections among pregnant women living in Africa and investigate its association with gender-related human development indicators.

Main Text: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Africa Journal Online, and Global Index Medicus, with no language restriction, to identify observational studies on HBV and HCV infections in pregnant women residing in Africa published from January 1, 2000 until December 31, 2017. Read More

J Med Virol 2019 Jun 12;91(6):928-934. Epub 2019 Mar 12.

Centre Pasteur of Cameroon, WHO National Reference Measles Laboratory, Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Rubella is an acute and contagious viral infection whose gravidity resides in infection during pregnancy, which can result in miscarriage, fetal death, stillbirth, or infants with congenital malformations. This study aimed to describe the genome of rubella viruses (RUBVs) circulating in Cameroon. Throat swabs were collected from health districts as part of the measles surveillance program from 2010 to 2016 and sent to the Centre Pasteur of Cameroon. Read More

Sci Adv 2019 Feb 27;5(2):eaav3208. Epub 2019 Feb 27.

Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.

Zika virus (ZIKV), an emergent flaviviral pathogen, has been linked to microcephaly in neonates. Although the risk is greatest during the first trimester of pregnancy in humans, timing alone cannot explain why maternal ZIKV infection leads to severe microcephaly in some fetuses, but not others. The antigenic similarities between ZIKV and dengue virus (DENV), combined with high levels of DENV immunity among ZIKV target populations in recent outbreaks, suggest that anti-DENV maternal antibodies could promote ZIKV-induced microcephaly. Read More

BMC Public Health 2019 Feb 28;19(1):242. Epub 2019 Feb 28.

Bureau of International Health Cooperation, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, 1-21-1, Toyama, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan.

Background: Immunization is one of the most effective measures for preventing disease when vaccination coverage is sufficient. Although vaccination coverage is known to be influenced by social and cultural barriers, the determinants of childhood immunization in Myanmar remain poorly understood. This study analyzed factors that influenced complete vaccination status (one dose each for Bacillus Calmette-Guérin and measles and three doses each for diphtheria-pertussis and polio) using 2015 data from the Myanmar Demographic Health and Survey. Read More