Fetal cord plasma herpesviruses and preeclampsia: an observational cohort study

A previous study suggested that fetal inheritance of chromosomally integrated human herpesvirus 6 (ici-HHV6) is associated with the hypertensive pregnancy disorder preeclampsia (PE). We aimed to study this question utilizing cord plasma samples (n = 1276) of the Finnish Genetics of Preeclampsia Consortium (FINNPEC) cohort: 539 from a pregnancy with PE and 737 without. We studied these samples and 30 placentas from PE pregnancies by a multiplex qPCR for the DNAs of all nine human herpesviruses. To assess the population prevalence of iciHHV-6, we studied whole-genome sequencing data from blood-derived DNA of 3421 biobank subjects. Any herpes viral DNA was detected in only two (0.37%) PE and one (0.14%) control sample (OR 2.74, 95% CI 0.25–30.4). One PE sample contained iciHHV-6B and another HHV-7 DNA. The control’s DNA was of iciHHV-6B; the fetus having growth restriction and preterm birth without PE diagnosis. Placentas showed no herpesviruses. In the biobank data, 3 of 3421 subjects (0.08%) had low level HHV-6B but no iciHHV-6. While iciHHV-6 proved extremely rare, both fetuses with iciHHV-6B were growth-restricted, preterm, and from a pregnancy with maternal hypertension. Our findings suggest that human herpesviruses are not a significant cause of PE, whereas iciHHV-6 may pose some fetal risk.