Prolonged Maternal Zika Viremia as a Marker of Adverse Perinatal Outcomes

• Main Authors: Léo Pomar, Véronique Lambert, Séverine Matheus, Céline Pomar, Najeh Hcini, Gabriel Carles, Dominique Rousset, Manon Vouga, Alice Panchaud, David Baud
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2021-02-01
• Series: Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Subjects: Zika; prolonged viremia; congenital infection; congenital Zika syndrome; viruses; mosquitoborne diseases
• Online Access: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/27/2/20-0684_article

Whether prolonged maternal viremia after Zika virus infection represents a risk factor for maternal–fetal transmission and subsequent adverse outcomes remains unclear. In this prospective cohort study in French Guiana, we enrolled Zika virus–infected pregnant women with a positive PCR result at inclusion and noninfected pregnant women; both groups underwent serologic testing in each trimester and at delivery during January–July 2016. Prolonged viremia was defined as ongoing virus detection >30 days postinfection. Adverse outcomes (fetal loss or neurologic anomalies) were more common in fetuses and neonates from mothers with prolonged viremia (40.0%) compared with those from infected mothers without prolonged viremia (5.3%, adjusted relative risk [aRR] 7.2 [95% CI 0.9–57.6]) or those from noninfected mothers (6.6%, aRR 6.7 [95% CI 3.0–15.1]). Congenital infections were confirmed more often in fetuses and neonates from mothers with prolonged viremia compared with the other 2 groups (60.0% vs. 26.3% vs. 0.0%, aRR 2.3 [95% CI 0.9–5.5]).