Cytomegalovirus (CMV) screening results in pregnant women admitted to a tertiary center in the middle anatolia

Abstract

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common cause of mother-to-child infection that may lead to severe long-term sequelae in affected infants and is the most common non-genetic cause of hearing loss. CMV prevalence is reported to be higher in developing countries and seroprevalence varies between countries and even regions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of CMV in pregnant women who applied to regional reference hospital and to investigate the efficacy of antenatal CMV screening. Methods: A total of 3362 patients admitted to a university hospital pregnant outpatient clinic between January 2016 and September 2018 were included in the study. After serological examination, avidity test was performed in cases with results suggestive of active infection. Amniocentesis was recommended to patients with low avidity and these patients were evaluated by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method. Results: The frequency of CMV immunglobulin (Ig) G and M seropositivity rates were 96.40% and 1.75%, respectively. According to avidity test results of patients with CMV infection; low, intermediate and high avidity levels were found in 10 (20.83%), 3(6.25%) and 35 (72.91%) patients, respectively. PCR analysis results showed primary infection in 3 of the cases with low avidity. Only one infant had signs of congenital CMV infection at the time of birth. Conclusion: Although routine CMV screening in pregnancy is not recommended due to lack of adequate studies on the validity of treatment and costeffectiveness, serological examination may be beneficial especially in risky groups in developing countries. Further studies on vaccination and anti-viral therapy may provide more comprehensive information about the necessity and efficacy of screening.