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Review
. 2022 Sep 13;14(9):e29101.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.29101. eCollection 2022 Sep.

Congenital Herpes Simplex Virus: A Histopathological View of the Placenta

Theodora-Eleftheria Deftereou  1 , Anna Trypidi  2 , Christina Angelika Alexiadi  3 , Paschalis Theotokis  4 , Maria Eleni Manthou  5 , Soultana Meditskou  5 , Maria Simopoulou  2 , Maria Lambropoulou  1
Affiliations
Review

Congenital Herpes Simplex Virus: A Histopathological View of the Placenta

Theodora-Eleftheria Deftereou et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Congenital Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is considered a common pregnancy pathology that is not always easy to diagnose. This study aimed to present the spectrum of placental histopathological lesions in pregnancies complicated by HSV infection. MEDLINE and Google Scholar databases were searched using the keywords "HSV" and "placental histopathology" up to June 20, 2022. Study inclusion required presenting placental histopathological anomalies in pregnant women diagnosed with HSV infection antenatally, during labor, or postnatally. Herein, we briefly present placental pathogenesis conditions, which have been correlated with congenital HSV infection, providing clinicians with a short review describing herpetic placental pathology.

Keywords: congenital infection; hsv; placenta; placental histopathology; pregnancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Representative sample of villitis with the presence of plasma cells (indicated by arrows). Hematoxylin/eosin-stained section of placenta in congenital HSV infection (magnification x 400).
HSV: Herpes simplex virus. Source: The sample was obtained from the Laboratory of Histology-Embryology Archive, Medical School, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Representative sample of deciduitis. The infiltration is mainly composed of round cells (indicated by the arrow). Hematoxylin/eosin-stained section of placenta in congenital HSV infection (magnification x 200).
HSV: Herpes simplex virus. Source: The sample was obtained from the Laboratory of Histology-Embryology Archive, Medical School, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Immunohistochemical staining for HSV-1 in placental tissue complicated with congenital HSV infection (magnification x 200) (Abcam, rabbit polyclonal). Arrows indicate the positively stained cells.
HSV: Herpes simplex virus. Source: All placental samples were obtained from the Laboratory of Histology-Embryology Archive, Medical School, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece.
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