DIAGNOSIS AND INCIDENCE OF FETAL PARVOVIRUS INFECTION IN AN AUTOPSY SERIES .1. HISTOLOGY

This study was undertaken to obtain additional information about the i ncidence and characteristics of fetal parvovirus B19 infection in an u nselected autopsy series, and to assess the distribution and quantitat ion of inclusions in various organs. Autopsy records from 673 fetal an d neonatal autopsies performed at Women and Infants' Hospital during 1 985 through 1990 were reviewed. Thirty-two cases of hydrops fetalis we re identified, and, of these, 5 had parvovirus infection. This gives a n incidence of fetal parvovirus infection resulting in hydrops fetalis of 0.7% among all autopsies, and a 16% incidence among cases of hydro ps. Thirty-five percent of the cases of hydrops had malformations; a m uscular ventricular septal defect was noted in ont of the 5 cases of p arvovirus infection. All 5 parvovirus cases had characteristic erythro id nuclear inclusions, and these inclusions were resistant to tissue d egenerative changes. The most reliable tissue for histologic diagnosis was the liver, followed by heart and lung. Only 2 of 5 placentas had diagnostic inclusions, making examination of the placenta alone insuff icient for ruling out fetal parvovirus infection.