Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Placental Histopathological and Immunohistochemical Prompt Assessment after SARS-CoV-2 Infection during Pregnancy—Our Perspective over a Small Group

Daniela Eugenia Popescu
ORCID logo ,
Ioana Roșca
* ORCID logo ,
Ana Maria Cristina Jura
,
Andreea Cioca
,
Ovidiu Pop
ORCID logo ,
Nicoleta Lungu
,
Zoran Laurentiu Popa
,
Adrian Ratiu
,
Marioara Boia
Version 1 : Received: 8 January 2024 / Approved: 9 January 2024 / Online: 9 January 2024 (15:45:56 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Popescu, D.E.; Roșca, I.; Jura, A.M.C.; Cioca, A.; Pop, O.; Lungu, N.; Popa, Z.-L.; Rațiu, A.; Boia, M. Prompt Placental Histopathological and Immunohistochemical Assessment after SARS-CoV-2 Infection during Pregnancy—Our Perspective of a Small Group. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 1836. Popescu, D.E.; Roșca, I.; Jura, A.M.C.; Cioca, A.; Pop, O.; Lungu, N.; Popa, Z.-L.; Rațiu, A.; Boia, M. Prompt Placental Histopathological and Immunohistochemical Assessment after SARS-CoV-2 Infection during Pregnancy—Our Perspective of a Small Group. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 1836.

Abstract

Research indicates compelling evidence of SARS-CoV-2 vertical transmission as a result of placental pathology. Background: This study offers an approach on histopathological and immunohistochemical placental observations from SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers compared negative ones. Methods: Out of 44 examined placentas, 24 were collected from patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and 20 without infection. Results: The disease group showed strong SARS-CoV-2 positivity of the membranes, trophoblast and fetal villous macrophages. Most infections occurred during the third trimester of pregnancy (66.6%). Pathology revealed areas consistent with avascular villi (AV), thrombi in the chorionic vessels and umbilical cord in the positive group, suggesting fetal vascular malperfusion (FVM). Other observed features included infarction (17%), perivillous fibrin deposition (29%), intervillous fibrin (25%), delayed placental maturation (8.3%), chorangiosis (13%), chorioamnionitis (8.3%) and meconium (21%). The negative control group revealed only one case of placental infarction (5%), intervillous fibrin (5%), delayed placental maturation (5%), chorioamnionitis (5%) and two cases of meconium (19%). Our results were consistent with literature. Conclusions: This study shows SARS-CoV-2 has an impact on coagulation, demonstrated by fetal thrombotic vasculopathy (p=0.01) and fibrin deposition (p=0.01). Further research is necessary to establish whether SARS-CoV-2 is the cause of vascular pathologies during pregnancy.

Keywords

placenta; SARS-CoV-2 infection; pregnancy; vertical transmission; fetal; pathology; immunohistochemistry; vascular complications; COVID-19.

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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