Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Epidemiology, management and outcome of varicella in pregnancy: a 20-year experience at the Tuscany Reference Centre for Infectious Diseases in Pregnancy

  • Brief Report
  • Published:
Infection Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Data from 215 pregnant women exposed to varicella and 276 with varicella observed at the Tuscany Reference Center for Infectious Diseases in Pregnancy, Florence, Italy, in the period 1997–2016 were retrospectively collected. The risk of developing varicella was lower in exposed women who received varicella zoster immunoglobulin compared with those who did not receive it [42% (21 of 50) vs 72% (13 of 18); p = 0.0263]. Typical congenital varicella syndrome was observed in 1.56% of fetuses/neonates born from pregnant women with varicella.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Lamont RF, Sobel JD, Carrington D, Mazaki-Tovi S, Kusanovic JP, Vaisbuch E, et al. Varicella-zoster virus (chickenpox) infection in pregnancy. BJOG. 2011;118(10):1155–62. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.2011.02983.x.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Harger JH, Ernest JM, Thurnau GR, Moawad A, Momirova V, Landon MB, et al. Risk factors and outcome of varicella-zoster virus pneumonia in pregnant women. J Infect Dis. 2002;185(4):422–7. https://doi.org/10.1086/338832.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Gershon A, Marin M, Seward J. Varicella. Measles and Mups. In: Wilson C, Nized V, Maldonado Y, Remington J, Klein J, editors. Remington and Klein’s infectious diseases of the fetus and newborn infant, 8th edn. Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders; 2016. pp 675–723.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Harris RE, Rhoades ER. Varicella pneumonia complicating pregnancy. Report of a case and review of literature. Obstet Gynecol. 1965;25:734–40.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Sterner G, Forsgren M, Enocksson E, Grandien M, Granström G. Varicella-zoster infections in late pregnancy. Scand J Infect Dis Suppl. 1990;71:30–5.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Ahn KH, Park YJ, Hong SC, Lee EH, Lee JS, Oh MJ, et al. Congenital varicella syndrome: a systematic review. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2016;36(5):563–6. https://doi.org/10.3109/01443615.2015.1127905.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Sauerbrei A, Wutzler P. The congenital varicella syndrome. J Perinatol. 2000;20(8 Pt 1):548–54.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Booy R, Burgner D, Nissen M, Buttery J, Zurynski Y, Elliott E, et al. Congenital Varicella Syndrome, study protocol. Case definition and reporting instructions: Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit; 2006. http://www.apsu.org.au/assets/current-studies/Congenital-Varicella-2005-protocol-sheet130810.pdf. Accessed 14 May 2018.

  9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). FDA approval of an extended period for administering VariZIG for postexposure prophylaxis of varicella. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2012;61(12):212.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Updated recommendations for use of VariZIG–United States. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2013;62(28):574–6.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Bechini A, Boccalini S, Baldo V, Cocchio S, Castiglia P, Gallo T, et al. Impact of universal vaccination against varicella in Italy. Human Vaccin Immunother. 2015;11(1):63–71. https://doi.org/10.4161/hv.34311.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Italian Ministry of Health National Immnunization Prevention Plan 2017–2019. IPublished on the italian official gazette, February 18th 2017. http://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2017/02/18/17A01195/sg. Accessed 14 May 2018.

  13. Jespersen C, Helmuth IG, Krause TG. Varicella-zoster immunoglobulin treatment in pregnant women in Denmark from 2005 to 2015: descriptive epidemiology and follow-up. Epidemiol Infect. 2016. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0950268816001485.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Bapat P, Koren G. The role of VariZIG in pregnancy. Expert Rev Vaccin. 2013;12(11):1243–8. https://doi.org/10.1586/14760584.2013.844651.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Subramaniam A, Britt WJ. Herpesviridae infection: prevention, screening, and management. Clin Obstet Gynecol. 2018;61(1):157 – 76. https://doi.org/10.1097/grf.0000000000000335.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Enders G, Miller E, Cradock-Watson J, Bolley I, Ridehalgh M. Consequences of varicella and herpes zoster in pregnancy: prospective study of 1739 cases. Lancet. 1994;343(8912):1548–51.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. SOD Malattie Infettive e Tropicali, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134, Florence, Italy

    Michele Trotta, Beatrice Borchi, Gaetana Sterrantino, Alessandro Bartoloni & Lorenzo Zammarchi

  2. Centro di Riferimento per la Regione Toscana per le Malattie Infettive in Gravidanza, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy

    Michele Trotta, Beatrice Borchi & Lorenzo Zammarchi

  3. Scuola di Scienze della Salute Umana, Corso di Laurea in Ostetricia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy

    Alessandra Niccolai

  4. Unità di Malattie Infettive, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Meyer, Florence, Italy

    Elisabetta Venturini

  5. Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy

    Elisabetta Venturini

  6. Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy

    Susanna Giaché, Gian Maria Rossolini, Alessandro Bartoloni & Lorenzo Zammarchi

  7. SOD Microbiologia e Virologia, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy

    Maria Grazia Colao & Gian Maria Rossolini

Authors
  1. Michele Trotta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Beatrice Borchi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Alessandra Niccolai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Elisabetta Venturini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Susanna Giaché
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Gaetana Sterrantino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Maria Grazia Colao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Gian Maria Rossolini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Alessandro Bartoloni
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Lorenzo Zammarchi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lorenzo Zammarchi.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Trotta, M., Borchi, B., Niccolai, A. et al. Epidemiology, management and outcome of varicella in pregnancy: a 20-year experience at the Tuscany Reference Centre for Infectious Diseases in Pregnancy. Infection 46, 693–699 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s15010-018-1150-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s15010-018-1150-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation