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Abstract

Knowledge of the prevalence of congenital cytomegalovirus infection is necessary to evaluate the need for prevention. We performed a multicentre one-year study involving 11 neonatology divisions to ascertain the prevalence in Lombardy. Cytomegalovirus was isolated by culturing saliva samples from all babies born (n = 1268) of two 15-day sample periods and from 185 neonates with suspected congenital CMV based on clinical and laboratory findings and the history. The overall prevalence of congenital infection was 0.47% (6/1268) in the sample period group and 5% (9/185) in the second group. Clinical monitoring revealed sequelae in two of three children with symptomatic infection and no asymptomatic child at age two years. In a subgroup of 205 babies including 14 of the infected infants we also evaluated a test to detect cytomegalovirus DNA in the Guthrie cards obtained in neonatal screening for genetic and metabolic disorders. The test's sensitivity was 100% and specificity 98.5%, encouraging its use for early identification of infected neonates and for large epidemiological studies.

Dried blood spots PCR assays to screen congenital cytomegalovirus infection: a meta-analysis

“…Four of the 15 studies were considered to having a low risk of bias in any of the domains [ 2 , 15 , 21 ]. Nine studies were assessed as having a high risk of patient selection bias, because the neonates with classical symptoms of cCMV infection, confirmed using reference standard might have been more easily diagnosed with cCMV [ 10 - 12 , 14 , 22 - 26 ]. Seven studies (5 with high risks and 2 with unclear risks) were identified as high risks in the index test domains [ 12 - 14 , 16 , 22 , 23 , 25 ].…”

“…A subgroup analysis of the study design (Table 5 a) was performed because the 7 prospective studies [ 2 , 10 , 13 , 15 , 21 , 26 ] had lower sensitivity than the retrospective studies [ 11 , 12 , 14 , 16 , 22 - 25 ]. The results showed that the 7 prospective studies, with no significant heterogeneity had obviously lower sensitivity (0.623) than the retrospective studies (0.945).…”

“…8 of 14 including studies reported the protocols of DNA extraction and PCR, and the detection limit of PCR reaction (copies/1 ml whole blood or copies/1 reaction). We extracted data from 5 of the 8 studies directly [ 10 - 14 ], and referenced the handbook of PCR kit used in 3 of the 8 studies [ 2 , 15 , 16 ] without exact protocol. We calculated the LOD (copies/1 ml whole blood) by the method shown in Table 1 , based on assuming a yield of 100% extraction.…”

Seroprevalence of cytomegalovirus antibodies amongst normal pregnant women in Nigeria

“…It was reported that the risk of fetal damage is greater if the primary infection occurs during the first trimester of pregnancy 4–6. The prevalence of congenital infection ranges from 0.2% to 2.5% in different populations,7–13 with groups at greater risk including Black or Asian women, those from a low socioeconomic background, and those that are born prematurely 10…”

Incidence and Risk of Cytomegalovirus Infection during Pregnancy in an Urban Area of Northern Italy

“…The prevalence of congenital infection ranges from 0.2% to 2.5% in different populations [14–20], in which the risk factors include particular races or ethnic groups, a low socioeconomic status, premature birth, and admission to an intensive care unit [6, 17]. Furthermore, the prevalence of congenital infection varies with the prevalence of the infection in the population [21].…”