Occupational risk factors for infection with parvovirus B19 among pregnant women

Article Abstract:

Human parvovirus B19 was identified in 1975. Infection with parvovirus B19 can cause transient aplastic crisis (reduced production of red blood cells), erythema infectiosum (EI, inflammation and open sores in the skin), and arthropathy (joint diseases). Previous reports have indicated that in pregnant women B19 infection may cause hydrops fetalis (abnormal accumulation of fluid in the tissues of the fetus) and result in spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) or stillbirth. The estimated risk of fetal mortality due to parvovirus infection in pregnant women is less than 10 percent. To determine risk factors associated with developing B19 infection, pregnant women were tested for B19 during an outbreak of EI, which occurred in Torrington, Connecticut in 1988. The study group included 796 pregnant women who were believed to have been exposed to B19. When blood samples were tested, 53 percent of the women were found to have antibodies to B19, indicating that they had contracted B19 infection and developed an immune response. A total of 479 of the women completed a questionnaire that asked about their occupational status. The highest rates of B19 infection occurred in schoolteachers (16 percent), day care workers (9 percent), and homemakers (9 percent). Women working outside of the home, but not in schools or day care centers, were in the lowest risk group and had a 4 percent rate of B19 infection. These results suggest that the risk of B19 infection during pregnancy may be related to a woman's occupational setting. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Risk factors, Employment, Pregnant women, Connecticut, Communicable diseases, Pregnancy, Occupational surveys, Parvovirus infections, Communicable diseases in pregnancy

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Gender-specific second-trimester biometry

Article Abstract:

Male and female second-trimester fetuses may show slightly different growth patterns as measured by ultrasound, but these differences may not be significant. Researchers measured the head diameter and length of thigh bone and upper arm bone of 288 male fetuses and 251 female fetuses. Gender was found to influence the measurements, but the difference between the two sexes was too small to affect changes in the predicted gestational age of the fetus. Different growth curves for male and female fetuses may not be warranted as accurate estimates of gestational age may be obtained when more than one ultrasonic measurement is used.

Usage, Fetus, Biometry, Prenatal ultrasonography

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