Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1992 Oct;167(4 Pt 1):1075-9. Unique Identifier :
OBJECTIVES: To explore the diagnostic potential of fetal blood sampling
in the prenatal diagnosis of intrauterine human immunodeficiency virus
infection and to investigate the transplacental transfer of human
immunodeficiency virus antibody and p24 antigen in the second trimester
of pregnancy, we studied serum and amniotic fluid obtained from 13
seropositive women and their fetuses before elective termination of
pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Western blot
antibody analyses, and p24 antigen assays were performed on all samples.
RESULTS: Human immunodeficiency virus antibody was detected by
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot analysis in aliquots
of maternal serum, amniotic fluid, and fetal serum from all 13
pregnancies. Each mother-fetus pair had identical antibody banding
patterns. In contrast, p24 antigen was found in the maternal serum and
amniotic fluid samples from five of 13 women (38%) and in serum from
only three of 13 fetuses (23%). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that fetal
blood sampling, if combined with sophisticated serologic analysis, may
have the potential to provide the diagnosis of congenital infection with
human immunodeficiency virus. The correlation of immunologic, virologic,
and molecular biologic methods with subsequent infant outcome and risk
of iatrogenic infection of the fetus remains to be determined.
Abortion, Induced Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/DIAGNOSIS Adult
Amniotic Fluid/MICROBIOLOGY *Blood Specimen Collection Female *Fetal
Blood/MICROBIOLOGY Human HIV Antigens/ANALYSIS *HIV Seropositivity
Pregnancy *Pregnancy Trimester, Second Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
JOURNAL ARTICLE