Congenital cytomegalovirus infection: occurrence in two socioeconomically distinct populations of a developing country

Abstract

SUMMARYIn São Paulo, Brazil, between November 1980 and July 1982, 1614 newborns of middle socioeconomic background and 1156 newborns of low socioeconomic background were examined for the occurrence of congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection by isolation of virus from urine samples or detection of specific anti-CMV IgM in umbilical cord serum tested by immunofluorescence. In the low socioeconomic population prevalence of CMV complement-fixing antibodies in mothers was 84.4%(151/179) and the incidence of congenital infection assessed by virus isolation 0.98% (5/508), as compared with 0.46% (3/648) in the group of newborns tested by detection of specific anti-CMV IgM in umbilical cord-serum. In middle socioeconomic level population prevalence of CMV complement-fixing antibodies in mothers was 66.5% (284/427) and the incidence of CMV congenital infection was 0.39% (2/518) in the group of newborns screened by virus isolation and 0.18% (2/1096) in the group tested by detection of specific anti-CMV IgM. In the present study none of the 12 congenitally infected newborns presented clinical apparent disease at birth.

Cytomegalovirus frequency in neonatal intrahepatic cholestasis determined by serology, histology, immunohistochemistry and PCR

“…The clinical manifestations are essentially limited to neonates of mothers presenting with a primary infection during pregnancy and include: purpura, intracerebral calcifications, retinitis, ventriculitis, hepatosplenomegaly, microcephaly, intrauterine growth retardation, and jaundice [15,[17][18][19][20][21][22] . The general prevalence of congenital CMV infection in Brazil is similar to that reported in studies on highly immune populations [16,[23][24][25][26][27] .…”

Cytomegalovirus seroepidemiology in an urban community of São Paulo, Brazil

“…In Brazil the epidemiological data available were restricted to some urban areas, such as the state of São Paulo. 2,3,12,13,15 Past serological studies using sera collected from healthy people of different age groups in São Paulo and tested for CMV antibodies showed a seroprevalence of 60% in children at the age 0-4 years old, 15 with a slow rise after 15 years old 2 and 80% of positivity at age group 51-60 years old. 3 The incidence of intrauterine CMV infection in developed and developing countries is about 1%.…”

“…3 The incidence of intrauterine CMV infection in developed and developing countries is about 1%. 9,13 Among the infected neonates, at least 10% suffer some brain damage and a greater proportion remain with some degree of hearing loss. 10 Data on congenital CMV infection in Brazil came from data collected by some institutions in different populations.…”

“…10 Data on congenital CMV infection in Brazil came from data collected by some institutions in different populations. 13 The prevalence of CMV antibody varies according to age, geographic location, and the population's socioeconomic conditions. 9 Although the CMV vaccine was developed to prevent primary infection in women during pregnancy and to seroconvert non-infected patients before organ transplantation, mass vaccination against CMV is foreseeable, which makes population background information even more necessary for the design of control strategies.…”

Prevalência de infecção congênita por citomegalovírus em recém-nascidos de uma unidade de tratamento intensivo de um hospital público

“…A number of studies performed in Brazil have observed prevalence rates that vary, depending on study population, from 0.39 to 6.8%. [11][12][13][14] Early diagnosis of this infection is important both for therapeutic interventions minimizing morbidity and mortality among symptomatic NB and also for determination of the risk of future sequelae in asymptomatic NB. 15 The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of congenital CMV infection among NB at the ICU of a public hospital in Porto Alegre.…”