Common pathways targeted by viral hemorrhagic fever viruses to infect the placenta and increase the risk of stillbirth

Abstract

Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHF) are endemic to Africa, South America and Asia and contribute to significant maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Viruses causing VHFs are typically zoonotic, spreading to humans through livestock, wildlife, or mosquito vectors. Some of the most lethal VHF viruses also impart a high-risk of stillbirth including ebolaviruses, Marburg virus (MARV), Lassa virus (LASV), and Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV). Large outbreaks and epidemics are common, though the impact on the mother, fetus and placenta is understudied from a public health, clinical and basic science perspective. Notably, these viruses utilize ubiquitous cellular surface entry receptors critical for normal placental function to enable viral invasion into multiple key cell types of the placenta and set the stage for maternal-fetal transmission and stillbirth. We employ insights from molecular virology and viral immunology to discuss how trophoblast expression of viral entry receptors for VHF viruses may increase the risk for viral transmission to the fetus and stillbirth. As the frequency of VHF outbreaks is expected to increase with worsening climate change, understanding the pathogenesis of VHF-related diseases in the placenta is paramount to predicting the impact of emerging viruses on the placenta and perinatal outcomes.

Keywords: Ebola virus; Fetus; Infection; Lassa virus; Marburg virus; Placenta; Pregnancy; Rift Valley fever virus; Virus.

Figure 1.

This figure illustrates the anatomy of a chorionic villous and the viral entry receptor distribution for several VHF viruses in syncytiotrophoblast and cytotrophoblast cells.

Figure 2.

This figure illustrates immunohistochemical staining for ebolavirus in the syncytiotrophoblast from a placenta obtained from an infected pregnant individual.