Mosquito-Borne Rift Valley Fever Virus Linked to Miscarriage in Humans
|
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 11 Oct 2016 |
|
Image: Proteins from Rift Valley fever virus (Photo courtesy of Medical Xpress).
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFv) has been linked to miscarriage in a cross-sectional study of pregnant Sudanese women with fever, which indicated a 7 times greater risk of miscarriage for infected women.
“In parts of Africa where there are RVF outbreaks, human miscarriages have never been linked to this particular viral infection, until now,” said co-author Magnus Evander, professor at Umeå University Faculty of Medicine (Umeå, Sweden), “With these results, we can add miscarriage to the list of known complications from RVF. This discovery is important for maternal health and for our efforts to develop preventive measures to minimize miscarriages, which are a big health problem for women in the affected areas of Africa.” The study was a collaboration between researchers at Umeå University, the Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOI), and clinicians in Sudan.
RVFv, mostly in Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula, regularly causes large outbreaks with hundreds of thousands of infected people and animals (e.g. cows, sheep, goats). RVF usually produces mild, influenza-like symptoms in humans, but in about 8% of cases, infected people develop serious symptoms, such as liver damage, serious eye infection, internal and external bleeding, meningitis, and death. In animals it often leads to death and as well as pregnancy miscarriages.
The new results are based on a study of 130 pregnant women with fever in Sudan, where outbreaks are a large and recurring health problem. Of the 130 patients, 27 had a miscarriage and 4 had premature births. The women infected with RVFv had a 7 times greater risk of miscarriage.
”Because RVF is caused by a mosquito-borne virus, there is a potential risk of global spread, which has been the case with the Zika virus. The fact that RVF could lead to miscarriage is very worrying,” said Prof. Evander.
The study was published September 27, 2016, in the journal Lancet Global Health.
Related Links:
Umeå University Faculty of Medicine
“In parts of Africa where there are RVF outbreaks, human miscarriages have never been linked to this particular viral infection, until now,” said co-author Magnus Evander, professor at Umeå University Faculty of Medicine (Umeå, Sweden), “With these results, we can add miscarriage to the list of known complications from RVF. This discovery is important for maternal health and for our efforts to develop preventive measures to minimize miscarriages, which are a big health problem for women in the affected areas of Africa.” The study was a collaboration between researchers at Umeå University, the Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOI), and clinicians in Sudan.
RVFv, mostly in Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula, regularly causes large outbreaks with hundreds of thousands of infected people and animals (e.g. cows, sheep, goats). RVF usually produces mild, influenza-like symptoms in humans, but in about 8% of cases, infected people develop serious symptoms, such as liver damage, serious eye infection, internal and external bleeding, meningitis, and death. In animals it often leads to death and as well as pregnancy miscarriages.
The new results are based on a study of 130 pregnant women with fever in Sudan, where outbreaks are a large and recurring health problem. Of the 130 patients, 27 had a miscarriage and 4 had premature births. The women infected with RVFv had a 7 times greater risk of miscarriage.
”Because RVF is caused by a mosquito-borne virus, there is a potential risk of global spread, which has been the case with the Zika virus. The fact that RVF could lead to miscarriage is very worrying,” said Prof. Evander.
The study was published September 27, 2016, in the journal Lancet Global Health.
Related Links:
Umeå University Faculty of Medicine
Gold Member
Hybrid Pipette
SWITCH
Homocysteine Quality Control
Liquichek Homocysteine Control
Gel Cards
DG Gel Cards
Latest Microbiology News
- AI-Powered Platform Enables Rapid Detection of Drug-Resistant C. Auris Pathogens
- New Test Measures How Effectively Antibiotics Kill Bacteria
- New Antimicrobial Stewardship Standards for TB Care to Optimize Diagnostics
- New UTI Diagnosis Method Delivers Antibiotic Resistance Results 24 Hours Earlier
- Breakthroughs in Microbial Analysis to Enhance Disease Prediction
- Blood-Based Diagnostic Method Could Identify Pediatric LRTIs
- Rapid Diagnostic Test Matches Gold Standard for Sepsis Detection
- Rapid POC Tuberculosis Test Provides Results Within 15 Minutes
- Rapid Assay Identifies Bloodstream Infection Pathogens Directly from Patient Samples
- Blood-Based Molecular Signatures to Enable Rapid EPTB Diagnosis
- 15-Minute Blood Test Diagnoses Life-Threatening Infections in Children
- High-Throughput Enteric Panels Detect Multiple GI Bacterial Infections from Single Stool Swab Sample
- Fast Noninvasive Bedside Test Uses Sugar Fingerprint to Detect Fungal Infections
- Rapid Sepsis Diagnostic Device to Enable Personalized Critical Care for ICU Patients
- Microfluidic Platform Assesses Neutrophil Function in Sepsis Patients
- New Diagnostic Method Confirms Sepsis Infections Earlier
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
New PSA-Based Prognostic Model Improves Prostate Cancer Risk Assessment
Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among American men, and about one in eight will be diagnosed in their lifetime. Screening relies on blood levels of prostate-specific antigen... Read more
Extracellular Vesicles Linked to Heart Failure Risk in CKD Patients
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects more than 1 in 7 Americans and is strongly associated with cardiovascular complications, which account for more than half of deaths among people with CKD.... Read more
Molecular Diagnostics
view channel
Liquid Biopsy Could Replace Surgical Biopsy for Diagnosing Primary Central Nervous Lymphoma
Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is typically diagnosed through surgical biopsy, which remains the gold standard but carries substantial risk. Operability depends heavily on tumor location,... Read more
New Tool Reveals Hidden Metabolic Weakness in Blood Cancers
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the most aggressive blood cancers, marked by poor survival rates and limited treatment options, especially in patients who do not respond to standard therapies.... Read more
Hematology
view channel
Fast and Easy Test Could Revolutionize Blood Transfusions
Blood transfusions are a cornerstone of modern medicine, yet red blood cells can deteriorate quietly while sitting in cold storage for weeks. Although blood units have a fixed expiration date, cells from... Read more
Automated Hemostasis System Helps Labs of All Sizes Optimize Workflow
High-volume hemostasis sections must sustain rapid turnaround while managing reruns and reflex testing. Manual tube handling and preanalytical checks can strain staff time and increase opportunities for error.... Read more
High-Sensitivity Blood Test Improves Assessment of Clotting Risk in Heart Disease Patients
Blood clotting is essential for preventing bleeding, but even small imbalances can lead to serious conditions such as thrombosis or dangerous hemorrhage. In cardiovascular disease, clinicians often struggle... Read more
Immunology
view channel
Blood Test Identifies Lung Cancer Patients Who Can Benefit from Immunotherapy Drug
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive disease with limited treatment options, and even newly approved immunotherapies do not benefit all patients. While immunotherapy can extend survival for some,... Read more
Whole-Genome Sequencing Approach Identifies Cancer Patients Benefitting From PARP-Inhibitor Treatment
Targeted cancer therapies such as PARP inhibitors can be highly effective, but only for patients whose tumors carry specific DNA repair defects. Identifying these patients accurately remains challenging,... Read more
Ultrasensitive Liquid Biopsy Demonstrates Efficacy in Predicting Immunotherapy Response
Immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment, but only a small proportion of patients experience lasting benefit, with response rates often remaining between 10% and 20%. Clinicians currently lack reliable... Read more
Pathology
view channel
AI Algorithms Improve Genetic Mutation Detection in Cancer Diagnostics
Accurately identifying genetic mutations is central to cancer diagnostics and genomic research, but current methods struggle with complex sequencing data and limited clinical samples. Tumor analysis often... Read more
Skin Biopsy Offers New Diagnostic Method for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) is a rare, progressive, and highly aggressive disease caused by the misfolding of a specific protein that accumulates as toxic amyloid filaments in multiple organs.... Read more
Technology
view channel
Aptamer Biosensor Technology to Transform Virus Detection
Rapid and reliable virus detection is essential for controlling outbreaks, from seasonal influenza to global pandemics such as COVID-19. Conventional diagnostic methods, including cell culture, antigen... Read more
AI Models Could Predict Pre-Eclampsia and Anemia Earlier Using Routine Blood Tests
Pre-eclampsia and anemia are major contributors to maternal and child mortality worldwide, together accounting for more than half a million deaths each year and leaving millions with long-term health complications.... Read more
Industry
view channel
Diasorin and Fisher Scientific Enter into US Distribution Agreement for Molecular POC Platform
Diasorin (Saluggia, Italy) has entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with Fisher Scientific, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific (Waltham, MA, USA), for the LIAISON NES molecular point-of-care... Read more
