Preconception screening for cytomegalovirus: an effective preventive approach
Loading...
Authors
Reichman, Orna
Miskin, Ian
Sharoni, Limor
Eldar-Geva, Talia
Goldberg, Doron
Tsafrir, Avi
Gal, Michael
Issue Date
2014-06-12
Type
Article
Language
en_US
Keywords
Preconception Screening , Cytomegalovirus , Effective Preventive Approach
Alternative Title
Abstract
Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the leading infectious cause of sensorineural hearing loss and delayed psychomotor development. Viral transmission to the fetus is far more likely to occur following a primary than a secondary maternal infection. Primary prevention seems to be the best means to reduce the burden of congenital CMV due to the lack of treatment options during pregnancy. We evaluated this approach on a cohort of 500 women planning pregnancy who attended our fertility clinic. Of the 444 who underwent CMV screening, 18 (4.1%) had positive IgM serology for CMV; of these, IgG avidity was high in 12 (remote infection) and low in 6 (recent infection). The latter were advised to delay pregnancy. All women who were seroimmune for CMV (366/444, 82.4%), including the 12 with remote infection, continued fertility treatment. The remaining patients (72/444, 16.2%), who were not immune to CMV at the initial screen, were advised to minimize CMV exposure by improving personal hygiene and to continue fertility treatment. None of the 69/72 (95.8%) women who were followed for one year were infected with CMV. Cytomegalovirus testing and counselling at preconception seemed effective in reducing CMV exposure in pregnancy.
Description
Citation
Reichman, O., Miskin, I., Sharoni, L., Eldar-Geva, T., Goldberg, D., Tsafrir, A., & Gal, M. (2014). Preconception screening for cytomegalovirus: an effective preventive approach. BioMed research international, 2014, 135416. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/135416
Publisher
BioMed Research International