A case-control study of stillbirths occurring at the University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka: serological investigations
Watts, T.; Larsen, S.A.; Brown, S.T.
Medical Journal of Zambia 17(1): 27-29
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0047-651X PMID: 6673412 Document Number: 404922
To explore the probability of intrauterine infections in the etiology of stillbirth, sera from 266 mothers of consecutive singleton stillborn babies (cases) and 266 mothers of liveborn babies (controls) delivered at the University Teaching Hospital were screened for the presence of antibodies against syphilis, cytomegalovirus, herpes, and hepatitis B virus between October 1979-April 1980. Highly significant differences between cases and controls were observed only in the case of syphilis. The microhemagglutination test for treponema pallidum (MHA-TP) was reactive in 54% of the cases and 29% of the controls. The rapid plasma reagin test was reactive at a dilution of 1:16 or greater in 29% of the cases and 3.5% of controls. In view of the high probability of syphilis in the causation of stillbirth, prenatal screening should be effective in Zambia. To enable early identification and treatment of infected women, a simple screening test that can be performed by the staff in the antenatal clinics should be evaluated.