Fetal cord plasma herpesviruses and preeclampsia: an observational cohort study.

Juho Wedenoja, Shintaro Katayama, Juha Kere, Seppo Heinonen, Hannele Laivuori, Eero Kajantie, Inka Häkkinen, Gamze Yazgeldi Gunaydin, Lari Pyöriä, Shohei Kojima, Nicholas Parrish, Maria F Perdomo, Klaus Hedman, Satu Wedenoja

Journal: Scientific reports 2024;14(1):14605

PMID: 38918446

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Abstract

A previous study suggested that fetal inheritance of chromosomally integrated human herpesvirus 6 (ici-HHV6) is associated with the hypertensive pregnancy disorder preeclampsia (PE). We aimed to study this question utilizing cord plasma samples (n = 1276) of the Finnish Genetics of Preeclampsia Consortium (FINNPEC) cohort: 539 from a pregnancy with PE and 737 without. We studied these samples and 30 placentas from PE pregnancies by a multiplex qPCR for the DNAs of all nine human herpesviruses. To assess the population prevalence of iciHHV-6, we studied whole-genome sequencing data from blood-derived DNA of 3421 biobank subjects. Any herpes viral DNA was detected in only two (0.37%) PE and one (0.14%) control sample (OR 2.74, 95% CI 0.25-30.4). One PE sample contained iciHHV-6B and another HHV-7 DNA. The control's DNA was of iciHHV-6B; the fetus having growth restriction and preterm birth without PE diagnosis. Placentas showed no herpesviruses. In the biobank data, 3 of 3421 subjects (0.08%) had low level HHV-6B but no iciHHV-6. While iciHHV-6 proved extremely rare, both fetuses with iciHHV-6B were growth-restricted, preterm, and from a pregnancy with maternal hypertension. Our findings suggest that human herpesviruses are not a significant cause of PE, whereas iciHHV-6 may pose some fetal risk.

Address: Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.; Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland.; Department of Virology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.; Genome Immunobiology RIKEN Hakubi Research Team, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences and RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, Yokohama, Japan.; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.; Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.; Public Health Promotion Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki and Oulu, Finland.; PEDEGO Research Unit, MRC Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tampere University Hospital, Wellbeing Services County of Pirkanmaa, Tampere, Finland.; Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Center for Child, Adolescent and Maternal Health Research, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.; Medical and Clinical Genetics, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.; Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland.; Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.; Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. [email protected].; Information Services Department, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland. [email protected].

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65386-6

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MeSH Terms: Humans, Female, Pregnancy, Pre-Eclampsia, Adult, Herpesvirus 6, Human, Cohort Studies, Fetal Blood, Finland, DNA, Viral, Placenta, Herpesviridae