Rahman M M, Khan A M, Hafiz M M, Ronny F M H, Ara S, Chowdhury S K, Nazir S S, Khan W I
Department of Immunology, National Diagnostic Network, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2002 Dec;33(4):811-7.
Infection with rubella virus during pregnancy may cause fetal death or the multiple congenital fetal abnormalities that are known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). Studies have demonstrated that congenital hearing impairment is the most frequent abnormality associated with intrauterine rubella infection. In the present study, the first of its kind in Bangladesh, we investigated the presence of rubella antibody in hearing-impaired children in order to understand the possible role of rubella infection in the development of hearing impairment. A total of 198 hearing-impaired children and 200 children without hearing problems were studied. After taking a detailed history from the parents, blood samples were collected from both mothers and children; sera were subjected to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for anti-rubella IgG. Rubella antibody was detected in 74% of the hearing-impaired children and in 18% of those with normal hearing: this finding correlated with the presence of rubella antibody in the mothers (67%) of rubella seropositive hearing-impaired children. In contrast, we observed rubella antibody in only 14% of the mothers of the children without hearing problems. Consistent with the presence of antibody, 41% of the seropositive mothers who had hearing-impaired children gave a history of fever and rash during early pregnancy. Our study indicates a strong association between rubella infection and hearing impairment in Bangladeshi children. In addition, it also indicates that infection by rubella virus is common in Bangladesh: this suggests that priority should be given to implementing appropriate measures for the control of rubella.
孕期感染风疹病毒可能导致胎儿死亡或出现多种先天性胎儿异常，即先天性风疹综合征（CRS）。研究表明，先天性听力障碍是与宫内风疹感染相关的最常见异常。在孟加拉国开展的这项首例此类研究中，我们调查了听力受损儿童体内风疹抗体的情况，以了解风疹感染在听力障碍发生过程中可能发挥的作用。共对198名听力受损儿童和200名听力正常儿童进行了研究。在向家长详细询问病史后，采集了母亲和孩子的血样；血清进行抗风疹IgG的酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）。在74%的听力受损儿童和18%的听力正常儿童中检测到风疹抗体：这一发现与风疹血清学阳性听力受损儿童的母亲（67%）体内存在风疹抗体相关。相比之下，在听力正常儿童的母亲中，仅14%检测到风疹抗体。与抗体存在情况一致，41%生育听力受损儿童的血清学阳性母亲在孕早期有发热和皮疹病史。我们的研究表明，孟加拉国儿童中风疹感染与听力障碍之间存在密切关联。此外，研究还表明风疹病毒感染在孟加拉国很常见：这表明应优先采取适当措施控制风疹。
