Study of amniotic fluid in pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 in first and second trimester. Is there evidence of vertical transmission?

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The effects of this infection on fetal development and whether there is vertical transmission are currently unknown. We present two cases of pregnant women with COVID-19 infection during the first and second trimester of gestation in which a PCR study of SARS-CoV-2 in amniotic fluid extracted by amniocentesis is performed to try to determine if there is vertical transmission. In both cases, the PCR result was negative. This fact could support the absence of vertical transmission when the infection occurs in these quarters. It would be advisable to carry out more extensive studies to be able to make this statement safely.

Efectividad del doble test bioquímico como prueba de cribado de síndrome de Down en el segundo trimestre / Effectiveness of the double test in screening for Down syndrome in the second trimester of pregnancy

Para determinar la población de riesgo de síndrome de Down a la que debe recomendarse realizar una te ́cnica invasiva para obtener un cariotipo fetal existen varias pruebas de cribado. En nuestro centro se realiza con el cribado del primer trimestre (edad materna + - translucencia nucal +b-HCG + PAPP-A). Cuando éste no es posible, se realiza el doble test (AFP+b- HCG) como cribado de segundo trimestre. Los resultados del doble test en nuestro centro son insatisfactorios ya que tenemos una tasa de detección del 0%, con una tasa de falsos positivos del 7,7%. Por ello consideramos que es necesaria la utilización de otros criterios alternativos para la selección de las mujeres de riesgo de síndrome de Down en el segundo trimestre (AU)

Several screening tests are available to identify the population at risk of Down syndrome. This population should then be recommended to undergo an invasive technique to obtain a fetal karyotype. In our hospital, screening is done by the combined test (maternal age + nuchal translucency + b subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin [b-HCG] + pregnancy- associated plasma-A [PAPP-A]) during the first trimester of pregnancy. When this test is not feasible, we request the double test (alpha-fetoprotein [AFP] + b-HCG) as a second trimester screening test. The results of the double test in our hospital were unsatisfactory because the detection rate was 0% with a false positive rate of 7.7%. Therefore, we believe alternative criteria should be used to select women at risk of having a child with Down syndrome in the second trimester (AU)