Rapid detection and quantification of cell free cytomegalovirus by a high-speed centrifugation-based microculture assay: comparison to longitudinally analyzed viral DNA load and pp67 late transcript during lactation

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the rate of cytomegalovirus (CMV) virolactia, and the prevalence of breast milk (BM)-transmitted postnatal CMV infection among premature infants after freeze-thawing (FT) and Holder pasteurization (HP) of breast milk. Methods: This is a single-center, retrospective study of 312 infants born at less than 32 weeks of gestation, or with a birth weight less than 1,500 g from January 2013 to June 2017. All infants were screened for CMV-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgM at birth. Initial CMV specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and CMV culture were performed on mothers' BM and babies' urine within the first 21 days of life. FT and HP of BM was used to prevent the transmission of CMV. For the surveillance of postnatal CMV infection, CMV culture and CMV specific PCR of urine from babies were repeated one to two months after the initial screening. Screening for viremia and viruria was performed if postnatal CMV infection was suspected. Results: Among 178 BM samples obtained from mothers of CMV-IgG-seropositive infants, 80 (44.9%) were CMV PCR positive. CMV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was detected in five of the 22 BM samples (22.7%) obtained from the mothers of CMV-IgG seronegative infants. When CMV DNA load in BM was measured before and after HP, various results were shown. Sixty-three infants out of 232 (27.2%) were evaluated for postnatal CMV infection and four infants out of 63 (6.3%) were infected. Conclusion: Interventions to prevent BM-transmitted CMV infection can reduce the chance of postnatal CMV infection, but not completely eliminate it.

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“…Maternal CMV shedding in BM of seropositive mothers can be detected in colostrum and ends about 3 months after birth 16) .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Breast Milk-Transmitted Cytomegalovirus Infection in Preterm Infants

Gang

Chang

2018

Neonatal Med

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“…Maternal HCMV reactivation of seropositive mothers during lactation with shedding of viral DNA and virolactia 8 can be detected already in colostrum and normally ends after about three months after birth. According to our experience with individual kinetics of HCMV reactivation in breastmilk of more than 500 healthy HIV-negative breastfeeding mothers of preterm infants, the onset of viral shedding begins with low viral load (<1000 copies/mL) and low infectivity (without detectable infected fibroblast nuclei in short-term microculture) at the end of the first week post partum (p.p.).…”

Section: Hcmv Reactivation During Lactationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1). The viral reactivation during lactation is a strictly self-limited process 8 . Using overnight microculture from cell-and fat-free milk whey, virolactia peaks coincide with viral DNA peak values, varying from 10 3 -10 6 copies HCMV DNA/mL of milk whey 9 .…”

Section: Hcmv Reactivation During Lactationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, HCMV DNA, viral late pp67 transcripts and virions can only be detected in breastmilk cells and cell-free milk whey 8,9,16,17 . Viral cells involved in HCMV reactivation include CD14+ macrophages 9 .…”

Section: Hcmv Reactivation During Lactationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, HCMV-infected milk cells are not essential for virus transmission 8,15 . Several reports found an association between high HCMV viral load in breastmilk and risk of transmission 18,19 .…”

Section: Hcmv Reactivation During Lactationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Transmission of human cytomegalovirus via breastmilk and potential risks to very preterm infants

Hamprecht¹,

Goelz²

2015

Microbiol. Aust.

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Breastfeeding has clear short-term benefits for the baby1. Additionally, based on a prospective long-term cohort study from Brazil, breastfeeding is associated with improved IQ scores and increased educational attainment 30 years later2. During lactation, mother-to-infant transmission of viral infections like HIV, hepatitis B (HBV), and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), may occur. The article presented here will focus on the dynamics of HCMV shedding into breastmilk, describe the short- and long-term risks of HCMV infection of small preterm infants, and options for prevention.

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