Higher rate of Epstein-Barr virus incorporation on decidualendometrial cells in pregnant women with preeclampsia

Abstract

Introduction: There are various theories regarding the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of preeclampsia, but the exact cause of preeclampsia is not yet clearly established. Previous investigators have suggested that preeclampsia may be associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in the B lymphocytes during pregnancy based on polymerase chain reaction or serological tests. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of EBV-positivity in women diagnosed with and without preeclampsia using placental specimens.

Materials and methods:This retrospective study included 85 pregnant women with preeclampsia and 65 pregnant women without preeclampsia. Placental specimens were assessed for the presence of acute and chronic inflammation. EBV-positivity was evaluated using in situ hybridization on EBV genes from tissue microarray slides. Clinicopathological characteristics were compared between women with and without preeclampsia and between EBV-positive and EBV-negative women.

Results: Women with preeclampsia showed a higher occurrence of EBV-positive cells than those without preeclampsia (36.5% vs 20.0%, p = 0.028). When stratified into gestational age, the occurrence of EBV-positivecells were consistently higher in women with preeclampsia with preterm delivery (39.1% vs 20.0%, p = 0.042) but not in those with full-term (28.6% vs 20.0%, p = 0.497).

Conclusion: We found increased EBV infected placenta of women with preeclampsia compared with those without preeclamplasia. Further study is needed to elucidate the etiological role of EBV infection during development of preeclampsia.