Zika virus RNA detected up to 46 days after symptom onset; 53 days after exposure in five women
THURSDAY, Aug. 4, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Prolonged detection of Zika virus RNA has been documented in five pregnant women, according to research published online July 29 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Dana Meaney-Delman, M.D., M.P.H., from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues summarized the clinical and laboratory characteristics of pregnant women with prolonged detection of Zika virus RNA in serum. Data were obtained from the U.S. Zika Pregnancy Registry. Prolonged detection was defined as Zika virus RNA detection in serum by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of 14 or more days after symptom onset, or 21 or more days after last possible exposure to Zika virus among asymptomatic women.
The researchers identified prolonged Zika virus RNA detection in serum up to 46 days after symptom onset in four symptomatic pregnant women, and at 53 days post-exposure in one asymptomatic pregnant woman. One of the five pregnancies had evidence of fetal Zika virus infection, which was confirmed by histopathologic examination of fetal tissue; three pregnancies resulted in live births with no reported abnormalities, and one pregnancy was ongoing.
“Zika virus RNA was detected in the serum of five pregnant women beyond the previously estimated timeframe,” the authors write. “Additional real-time RT-PCR testing of pregnant women might provide more data about prolonged detection of Zika virus RNA and the possible diagnostic, epidemiologic, and clinical implications for pregnant women.”
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