To determine the prevalence of HBoV DNA in aborted fetuses and IUFDs. The HBoV serology of the mothers was also studied.
We retrospectively studied all available fetuses (N = 535) autopsied during 7/1992–12/1995, and 1/2003–12/2005 in Helsinki, Finland. All available formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded fetal tissues – placenta, heart and liver – of 120 miscarriages, 169 IUFDs, and 246 induced abortions were studied by quantitative PCR. We also measured the HBoV IgM and IgG antibodies in the corresponding maternal sera (N = 462) mostly of the first trimester. The IgM-positive sera underwent HBoV PCR.
None of the fetal tissues harbored HBoV DNA. A total of 97 % (448/462) of the mothers were positive for IgG antibodies to HBoV, while only 0.9 % (4/462) exhibited HBoV-specific IgM antibodies without viremia or respiratory symptoms. One IgM-positive mother had an unexplained fetal loss.
We did not find HBoV DNA in any of the deceased fetuses. Almost all pregnant women were HBoV-IgG positive.