Congenital cytomegalovirus infection: Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention

Abstract

Congenital cytomegalovirus infection is an infectious disease that results from antenatal transplacental transmission of cytomegalovirus to a fetus. The above virus is the most common cause of congenital infections worldwide. Congenital cytomegalovirus infection may develop both after primary infection of a seronegative pregnant women (primary) and due to reactivation of the virus or reinfection with other virus strains during pregnancy (non-primary). In the neonatal period, 85-90% of children infected in utero are observed to have an asymptomatic or subclinical course of the disease. In other cases, the clinical picture is characterized by lesions of various organs and by frequent CNS involvement. In its severe course, the disease is treated with antiviral drugs that are so far referred to as an "off-label" group. Even in the absence of symptoms in the neonatal period, the babies infected with CMV in utero may develop late sequels, with hearing loss being most common. Preschool hearing control and ophthalmologic and neurologic monitoring are recommended for the timely treatment and rehabilitation of late manifestations of congenital cytomegalovirus infection. The important strategy to reduce the incidence of congenital cytomegalovirus infection is its prevention in pregnant women, by disseminating information about the disease in the publicly accessible sources of information and by teaching simple hygienic practices.