Birth Outcomes Related to Prenatal Zika, Dengue, and Other Flavivirus Infections in the Zika en Embarazadas y Niños Prospective Cohort Study in Colombia

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2024 Jul 9;111(3):622-626. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0873. Print 2024 Sep 4.

Abstract

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in pregnancy is associated with severe abnormalities of the brain and eye and other adverse outcomes. Zika en Embarazadas y Niños was a prospective cohort study conducted in multiple Colombian cities that enrolled pregnant women in their first trimester. Specimens collected from pregnant women (n = 1,519) during February 2017-September 2018 and their infants (n = 1,080) during June 2017-March 2019 were tested for prenatal ZIKV infection by nucleic acid amplification tests or IgM antibody testing. Zika virus infection in pregnancy was present in 3.2% of pregnant women (incidence rate [IR] per 1,000 person-months = 5.9, 95% CI: 4.3-7.8). Presumptive ZIKV infection was present in 0.8% of infants (IR = 1.6, 95% CI: 0.7-2.9). Five percent of infants with prenatal ZIKV exposure or infection presented with Zika-associated abnormalities; 4.7% were small for gestational age. Understanding the risk of ZIKV infection during pregnancy and associated adverse outcomes can help inform counseling efforts.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Colombia / epidemiology
  • Dengue* / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious* / epidemiology
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious* / virology
  • Pregnancy Outcome
  • Prospective Studies
  • Young Adult
  • Zika Virus / isolation & purification
  • Zika Virus Infection* / complications
  • Zika Virus Infection* / epidemiology