No abstract

Objectives: Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common cause of newborn infections in developed countries, affecting up to 1% of newborn babies. Symptomatic CMV can occur in up to 10% of viral positive babies, including manifestations ranging from sensorineural hearing loss, microcephaly, developmental delays, and others. The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence of congenital CMV in a general population of newborn babies. Methods: Institutional review board approval was obtained. Newborn blood spots were obtained. The blood spots were evaluated using quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for CMV. The PCR primers and probes were purchased from Life Technologies and based on the sequences published by Schovoerer et al. A CMV standard curve was generated for each PCR run with a human cytomegalovirus (AD169) and a quantitated viral DNA PCR control (Advanced Biotechnologies, Inc). The DNA was serially diluted to obtain a quantitative curve. Results: Six hundred blood spots were analyzed: 50% were male; 50% were Caucasian; 50% were African American. One female African American baby was found to have CMV. Conclusions: Our local data suggest a smaller incidence of CMV than the general population. The study is a small study and the implications are unclear. Further study is needed.