Cytomegalovirus Infection in Pregnancy - Our Experiences

Abstract

Introduction: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is ubiquitous. It affects all age groups, and its clinical picture ranges from mild to severe, especially as a congenital infection in neonates. Aim: To determine frequency of CMV infection in pregnant women in Tuzla Canton (TC) and the risk factors that lead to the infection. Methods: This prospective study included 300 pregnant women from TC aged 18 to 42 years. CMV serology was performed on all participants, and in case of acute infection additionally IgG avidity test. Participants also completed the questionnaire on the risk factors for CMV infection. Results: The median age of the 300 women was 28 ±4.97 years. There were 161participants (53.6%) who classified their environment as urban and 295 (98.33%) were married. More than half of the women had completed secondary school 168 (56%). Positive IgG antibodies to CMV had 280 (93.0%) women. Positive IgM and IgG antibodies had 9 (3.0%) participants, but all of them had high IgG avidity, which indicates reinfection or recurrent CMV infection. There was a statistically significant higher number of seropositive participants living in rural areas than those living in urban areas (p= 0.048). Also, there was significantly higher percentage of positive anti-CMV IgG in pregnant women with lower education (p=0.04). Conclusion: In our region there is high seropositivity rates of IgG antibodies to CMV in pregnant women. No case of primary CMV infection was proven. The risk factors for CMV infection have been proven to be rural environment and lower level of education.

Screening for TORCH Antibodies in Croatian Childbearing-Aged Women, 2014–2023

“…The European studies showed widely differing levels of immunity to CMV in childbearingaged women. Compared to the seroprevalence of 70.5% observed in our study, very high CMV seropositivity was found in Bosnia and Herzegovina (93%) [54], moderate seropositivity in Italy (70.8%) [55] and Western Europe (73.2%) [56], and lower seroprevalence in the United Kingdom (49%) [57], France (45.6%) [58], Germany (42.3-45.2%) [59,60], and Norway (62.8%) [42]. Studies from Poland showed CMV seroprevalence rates of 76.7% [61] and 62.4%, respectively [62].…”

The Unique Microbiome and Innate Immunity During Pregnancy

“…For the treatment for virus, the administration of high-avidity immunoglobulin (HIG) to prevent maternal-fetal CMV transmission is a must in the first trimester pregnancy (124). After transmission, administration of HIG can also be considered to either prevent a symptomatic infection at birth or lessen the symptoms (125). The result from Ville et al indicates that high-dosage valacyclovir given is effective for improving the outcome of moderately symptomatic infected fetuses for virus infection (126).…”

Bosnian Islam as ‘European Islam’: limits and shifts of a concept

“…Obviously, he rejects the definition of Islam as individual faith: he proposes a collective and public morality rather than the individual and inner ethic put forward by Fikret Karčić. But he also criticises the definition of Islam as common culture, and denounces this part of the Muslim intelligentsia "that is conscious of the role of Islam in the national awakening of its people, but gives it first of all a cultural and traditional meaning, and very little real significance in [everyday] life" 79 . In his eyes, "those who believe that it is possible to be linked with Islam in an irregular and superficial way, to apply some of its precepts and to neglect others, should be aware of their inconsistency, and even of a certain hypocrisy.…”