Nationwide survey of mother-to-child infections in Japan

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this survey study was to evaluate a state of mother-to-child infections in Japan.

Methods: A nationwide survey on 2714 obstetric facilities where regular maternity checkups were carried out was conducted. A primary questionnaire assessed numbers of pregnancies including induced abortion, spontaneous abortion, still-birth as well as live-birth, which were affected by congenital infections of 6 pathogens during a year of 2011. The secondary questionnaire assessed clinical information, diagnostic modality, and the outcome for each case. The clinical features and diagnostic problems were evaluated.

Results: The high reply rates for the primary (73.7%) and the secondary questionnaire (100%) were achieved. The presence of congenital infections for 34 cases with cytomegalovirus (CMV), 1 with Toxoplasma gondii, 4 with rubella virus, 5 with Treponema pallidum, 8 with herpes simplex virus, and 69 with parvovirus B19 was confirmed after questionnaire assessment. The incidence of fetal demise among pregnancies with congenital parvovirus B19 infection was up to 71.0%. Eleven mothers with hydrops fetalis received prenatal fetal therapies involving fetal blood transfusion and immunoglobulin administration, whereas only three pregnancies (27.3%) ended in live-births.

Conclusions: This survey study for the first time revealed the annual frequency of pregnancies with mother-to-child infections of 6 pathogens in Japan. The results involve important information and are helpful for clinical practitioners. The majority of neonates with congenital infection of CMV or T. gondii might be undiagnosed in obstetric facilities.

Keywords: Cytomegalovirus; Parvovirus B19; Rubella virus; Toxoplasma gondii; Treponema pallidum.