Transplacental transmission of torque teno virus

Abstract

Abstract Background TTV has been detected in almost every human tissue type or body fluid reaching near 100% prevalence. Several studies report mother-to-child postnatal transmission of TTV in infancy but the risk of transplacental transmission of TTV is still unclear. Methods The blood and plasma collected postpartum from 100 mother-child pairs were analyzed using TTV-specific qPCR. Samples were collected from the peripheral vein of the mother and the umbilical cord. Results Eighty four percent of pregnant women were TTV positive (median titers: 8 × 104 copies/mL; range: 103 – 3 × 107). The TTV load in plasma was approximately 100 times lower than in whole blood. TTV was not detected in any of cord blood samples. Conclusions Our data demonstrate the lack of transplacental transmission of TTV (or effective prenatal inhibition of viral proliferation). The presence of the virus in infants may be associated with mother-to-child transmission through breast feeding or other routes of transmission.

Keywords

• Torque Teno Virus
• Transfusion transmitted virus
• TTV
• Transplacental transmission
• Cord blood
• Mother-to-child