Evidence for vertical transmission of HPV from mothers to infants.

Few large studies have evaluated concordance based on a broad spectrum of human papillomavirus (HPV) types in oral and genital specimens of mothers and their recently born infants. This information is important in determining whether HPV vaccines administered prior to pregnancy may be useful for preventing vertical transmission. HPV DNA was positive in 30% of mothers and 1.5% of newborns. Maternal/newborn concordance (HPV+/+ or HPV-/-) was 71%. Among HPV DNA+ mothers, only 3% of their infants were DNA+ and only 1 pair had the same HPV type. Among HPV- women, 0.8% of infants were HPV+. HPV DNA detected in hospitalized newborns reflects current infection transmitted to infants during pregnancy or delivery. None of the mother/baby HPV DNA+ concordance pairs detected viral types found in HPV vaccines suggesting that vaccination prior to pregnancy is unlikely to be efficacious in preventing vertical transmission.

Human papillomavirus infections in children: the potential role of maternal transmission.

To date, more than 100 types of human papillomavirus (HPV) have been identified. In the past 20 years, there has been an increasing interest in HPVs because of their potential role in the pathogenesis of malignant tumors. HPV infections are known to affect predominantly adult, sexually active age groups, whereas skin warts, at various anatomic sites, are usually associated with younger individuals. The modes of viral transmission in children remain controversial, including perinatal transmission, auto- and hetero-inoculation, sexual abuse, and, possibly, indirect transmission via fomites. Recent studies on perinatal infection with HPV have been inconclusive. It is still unclear how frequently perinatal infection progresses to clinical lesions, whether genital, laryngeal, or oral. Conflicting reports have been published on the prevalence of HPV infections in children. The current consensus is, however, that newborn babies can be exposed to cervical HPV infection of the mother. The detection rate of HPV DNA in oral swabs of newborn babies varies from 4% to 87%. The concordance of HPV types detected in newborn babies and their mothers is in the range of 57% to 69%, indicating that the infants might acquire the HPV infection post-natally from a variety of sources. HPV antibodies have been detected in 10% to 57% of the children, and there is usually no correlation between seropositivity and the detection of HPV DNA in either the oral or the genital mucosa. There is also evidence that transmission in utero or post-natal acquisition is possible. The mode of in utero transmission remains unknown, but theoretically the virus could be acquired hematogenously, by semen at fertilization, or as an ascending infection in the mother. The understanding of viral transmission routes is important, particularly because several vaccination programs are being planned worldwide. The serologic response to HPV detected in different populations of young women or women at risk of cervical cancer might be due to genital infections, but the possibility that HPV infection has been acquired earlier in life through the oral mucosa or respiratory tract cannot be ruled out.

[Radiation damage to the hemopoietic system of mice, carriers of the leukemia virus]. / Radiatsionnoe porazhenie sistemy gemopoéza u myshei--nositelei virusa leikoza.

The experiments with AKR mice, that are carriers of the T-cell leukemia virus showed their higher radiosensitivity as compared to (CBA x C57Bl)F1 mice in respect of survival and hemopoietic status. The regular patterns observed are presumed to result from lower ability of AKR mice to repair radiation damage and provide resistance to infections.

Congenital papillomas and papillomatoses associated with the human papilloma virus (HPV)-report on 5 cases.

The authors present a study of five cases of vulvar congenital papillomas and papillomatoses in stillborns and neonates dead upon birth. The studied material was collected from five necropsies. The histopathological evaluation showed hyperkeratosis, acanthosis, papillomatosis, perinuclear haloes, and nuclear abnormalities. In three of the cases, the electron microscopy identified nuclear and cytoplasmatic viral particles ranging from 40 to 60 nm in size, compatible with HPV. The immunohistochemical study of those lesions showed nuclear and cytoplasmatic positivity. The authors concluded that the presence of viral particles suggestive of HPV added to the immunopositivity indicated the possibility of viral infection.

Sexually transmitted diseases in neonates and infants.

With the current resurgence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), familiarity with the clinical manifestations of STDs in neonates and infants is essential to minimize the tragic consequences. The recognized routes of transmission of the diseases include transplacental, intrapartum, and postpartum exposure. This discussion will be confined to infections caused by syphilis, herpes simplex virus, human papillomavirus, gonorrhea, and chlamydia emphasizing clinical aspects in this population.

Vertical transmission of reticuloendotheliosis virus in breeder turkeys.

Epizootiological studies were conducted on a commercial turkey breeder flock naturally infected with nondefective reticuloendotheliosis (RE) virus. Although RE virus was isolated from 27 (46%) of the 59 hens studied, only 4 of the 45 hens tested transmitted RE virus to progeny during a 6-week observation period and the overall transmission rate was 1.8%. The transmitter hens were of two types: three hens were consistently viremic and antigenemic and lacked antibody; one hen was viremic but lacked detectable viral antigen and possessed antibody. Toms appeared to play no role in vertical transmission of the infection. Of several tests evaluated for detection of transmitter hens, the direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on albumen was probably best, since it detected three of four transmitter hens, detected relatively few nontransmitter hens, and had the best consistency of any test. No significant differences in hatchability were found between eggs from viremic and non-viremic hens. These findings can be utilized in the development of programs for eradication of RE virus from turkey breeding flocks.

Serological Investigation of the possibility of congenital transmission of papovavirus JC.

In an examination of paired sera from pregnant women, 9 of 57 women who had JC virus antibodies in their first specimens exhibited virus reactivation, as judged by a fourfold or greater rise in JC virus hemagglutination-inhibiting antibodies; 43 women remained seronegative through pregnancy. JC virus-specific immunoglobulin M was not demonstrated in umbilical cord sera of six infants born to mothers showing reactivation or in 300 additional umbilical cord sera from normal pregnancies.

Perinatal viral carcinogenesis: the role of immunity.

The perinatal period cumulates conditions favorable to carcinogenesis that comprise high cellular multiplication rates, unstable homeostasis, and immune incompetence. The placenta allows the passage of various antigens including oncogenic viruses that have immunogenic or tolerogenic effects on the fetus. According to the structural type in different species, the placenta also transfers a diversity of maternal antibodies that protect efficiently the unborn progeny. However, in the postnatal period, the infant deprived of maternal antibodies and still incompetent to produce sufficient levels of immunoglobulins is highly susceptible to viral carcinogenesis. In an experimental system, newborn rats were totally protected against viral leukemogenesis by prenatal immunization of mothers with either live or inactivated leukemia virus. The routes of transfer and the comparative efficiency of serum and milk immunoglobulins of different classes to neutralize the virus were examined. The passage of antibodies under conditions of maternal immunosuppression was also studied.

Natural transmission of gibbon leukemia virus.

Gibbon leukemia virus can infect prenatal gibbons through in utero infection or postnatal gibbons through contact transmission. The transmission of infectious virus was from viremic gibbons and not from uninfected or antibody-positive animals. The two modes of transmission could be distinguished by the amount of proviral DNA integrated into the muscle tissue of viremic gibbons. Muscle of gibbons infected postnatally had little or no proviral DNA, whereas gibbons infected prenatally had a large quantity of proviral DNA.