Absence of maternal-fetal transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 to second-trimester fetuses

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the contribution of in ute ro infection to the vertical transmission of human immunodeficiency virus t ype 1 during the second trimester. STUDY DESIGN: We examined fetal tissues from 21 second-trimester prostaglan din-induced abortions among human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected wo men and compared the fetal vertical transmission rates with those among chi ldren born to human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive women. The presence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 nucleic acid sequences was investig ated with two different highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction techniqu es in tissue samples from the fetal thymus, lung, and brain. RESULTS: No human immunodeficiency virus type 1 deoxyribonucleic acid was d etected in any of the samples. CONCLUSION: The absence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in all fetus es in our study is compatible with a low rate of maternal-fetal transmissio n during the second trimester of pregnancy.