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Intra-uterine transmission of cytomegalovirus in women known to be immune before conception

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2009

P. D. Griffiths  and
C. Baboonian
P. D. Griffiths
Affiliation:
Department of Virology, Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital, London E.C.1
C. Baboonian
Affiliation:
Department of Virology, Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital, London E.C.1
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Summary

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A prospective study identified 785 pregnant women who had been shown to possess complement fixing antibodies against cytomegalovirus (CMV) during a previous pregnancy. As these women were thus known to have been immune prior to their subsequent conception, their neonates were examined for evidence of congenital CMV infection. Specimens were obtained from 725(92%) of the neonatcs and congenital infection was found in only one (0·14%). The elder sister of the infected child was also shown, by retrospective testing of her stored cord serum for specific IgM antibodies, to have been infected in utero. Thus, one woman was identified who had delivered consecutive siblings congenitally infected with CMV. We conclude that some women have a propensity for intra-uterine transmission of CMV, despite being immune prior to conception, and speculate that such women may have acquired their infections perinatally.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 92 , Issue 1 , February 1984 , pp. 89 - 95
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1984

References

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