Document 0244
 DOCN  M95A0244
 TI    Frequency of early in utero HIV-1 infection: a blind DNA polymerase
       chain reaction study on 100 fetal thymuses.
 DT    9510
 AU    Brossard Y; Aubin JT; Mandelbrot L; Bignozzi C; Brand D; Chaput A; Roume
       J; Mulliez N; Mallet F; Agut H; et al; Centre for Perinatal
       Haemobiology, Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital,; Paris, France.
 SO    AIDS. 1995 Apr;9(4):359-66. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/95314791
 AB    OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of in utero transmission of HIV-1
       through the second trimester. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred
       consecutive, unselected, intact fetuses, beyond 15 weeks gestational age
       (mean, 22.4 weeks) were studied. These were obtained following
       spontaneous intrauterine deaths (n = 4), miscarriages (n = 4), and
       elective mid-trimester terminations (n = 92), eight of which were
       fetuses with malformations from HIV-1-positive pregnancies. Coded DNA
       extracts from the fetal thymuses were tested blindly by polymerase chain
       reaction in three laboratories using a total of six different primer
       pairs. RESULTS: Two thymuses tested positive [95% confidence interval
       (Cl), 0.2-7]. Results from the three laboratories were consistent in all
       100 cases. The two fetuses with HIV in the thymus both tested positive
       in other organs, demonstrating systemic HIV infection. The first fetus,
       whose mother had advanced AIDS, had died in utero and had diffuse
       toxoplasmosis. The second died following extremely premature delivery in
       a pregnancy complicated by repeated bleeding. HIV infection was observed
       in none of the 92 fetuses that resulted from elective mid-trimester
       terminations (95% Cl, 0-4). CONCLUSION: The frequency of early in utero
       HIV infection appears to be low, compared with transmission rates in
       infants born to HIV-1-infected mothers, suggesting that transmission
       occurs mostly later in pregnancy and/or at delivery. Specific risk
       factors may have implications in the occurrence of early as opposed to
       late transmission.
 DE    Adult  Base Sequence  Disease Transmission, Vertical  DNA
       Primers/GENETICS  DNA, Viral/GENETICS  Female  France/EPIDEMIOLOGY
       Gestational Age  Human  HIV
       Infections/*COMPLICATIONS/EPIDEMIOLOGY/*TRANSMISSION
       *HIV-1/GENETICS/ISOLATION & PURIF  Maternal-Fetal Exchange  Molecular
       Sequence Data  Polymerase Chain Reaction/METHODS/STANDARDS  Pregnancy
       *Pregnancy Complications, Infectious  Risk Factors  Support, Non-U.S.
       Gov't  Thymus Gland/VIROLOGY  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).