The occurrence of HSVs in placental tissue was high, especially for HSV-1. Novel strategies need to be implemented for the management of asymptomatic women who might transmit HSV to their newborns.

BACKGROUND Increasing evidence suggests that human papillomavirus (HPV) intratype variants (specific lineages and sublineages) are associated with pathogenesis and progression from HPV infection to persistence and the development of cervical cancer.OBJECTIVES This study aimed to verify the prevalence of HPV infection and distribution of HPV types and HPV16 variants in southern Brazil in women with normal cytology or intraepithelial lesions.METHODS HPV typing was determined by L1 gene sequencing. To identify HPV16 variants, the LCR and E6 regions were sequenced, and characteristic single nucleotide variants were identified.FINDINGS A total of 445 samples were studied, with 355 from cervical scrapes and 90 from cervical biopsies. HPV was detected in 24% and 91% of these samples, respectively. The most prevalent HPV types observed were 16 (cervical, 24%; biopsies, 57%) and 58 (cervical, 12%; biopsies, 12%). Seventy-five percent of the HPV16-positive samples were classified into lineages, with 88% defined as lineage A, 10% as lineage D, and 2% as lineage B.MAIN CONCLUSIONS This study identified a high frequency of European and North American HPV16 lineages, consistent with the genetic background of the human population in southern Brazil.

Objective Estimate the prevalence of human herpesvirus type 1 HSV-1 DNA in placental samples, its incidence in umbilical cord blood of newborns and the associated risk factors. Methods Placental biopsies and umbilical cord blood were analyzed, totaling 480 samples, from asymptomatic parturients and their newborns at a University Hospital. Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gene sequencing were used to identify the virus; odds ratio (OR) and relative risk (RR) were performed to compare risk factors associated with this condition. Results The prevalence of HSV-1 DNA in placental samples was 37.5%, and the incidence in cord blood was 27.5%. Hematogenous transplacental route was identified in 61.4% from HSV-1+ samples of umbilical cord blood paired with the placental tissue. No evidence of the virus was observed in the remaining 38.6% of placental tissues, suggesting an ascendant infection from the genital tract, without replication in the placental tissue, resulting in intra-amniotic infection and vertical transmission, seen by the virus in the cord blood. The lack of condom use increased the risk of finding HSV-1 in the placenta and umbilical cord blood. Conclusion The occurrence of HSV-1 DNA in the placenta and in cord blood found suggests vertical transmission from asymptomatic pregnant women to the fetus.

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