Exploring Maternal-Fetal Transmission of Human Herpesvirus ۶: A Study of Placental, Embryonic, and Autopsy Samples

Background: Considering the limited studies conducted on the possibility of vertical transmission of HHV-۶ in humans at different stages of pregnancy, the objective of this research wasis to examine the vertical transmission of HHV-۶ (human herpesvirus ۶) in various tissues of aborted fetuses atduring different months of pregnancy. Materials & Methods: This research was conducted on used ۵۸ formalin- fixed paraffin- embedded tissues (FFPE) from ۲۶ fetopsies. DNA extraction was performed using the phenol-chloroform technique. The quantity of extracted DNA samples was measured using the NanoDrop spectrophotometric method. PCR of the beta-globin gene confirmed the quality of the extracted DNA, and then the presence of the HHV-۶ genome was tested using the Rreal-time PCR method. Findings: Of the ۲۶ fetuses examined, ۲۲ (۸۴.۶%) were negative for HHV-۶, and four (۱۵.۴%) were positive. All six first-trimester fetuses were negative. Among ۱۳ second-trimester fetuses (۲۹ FFPE tissues), two (۷.۷%) tested positive., wWhile none of the seven third-trimester fetuses (۲۲ FFPE tissues) had placental positive placentasity. However, HHV-۶ was detected in non-placental fetal tissues, including the liver of fetus No. ۱۶ and the heart of fetus No. ۲۲, both of which were in the third trimester. Conclusion: These findings suggest that while vertical transmission of HHV-۶ may occur, particularly in later stages of pregnancy andor in specific fetal tissues, the overall prevalence in theis sample studied was relatively low. Further investigation is needed to understand the implications of these results for maternal and fetal health.

کلیدواژه ها:

HHV-۶ ، Pregnancy ، Vertical transmission ، Placenta