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Prevalence of Cytomegalovirus Antibody in Nursing Personnel

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Jane A. Lipscomb ,
Calvin C. Linnemann Jr. ,
Pei Fung Hurst ,
Martin G. Myers ,
William Stringer ,
Peggy Moore  and
Jean Hammond
Jane A. Lipscomb*
Affiliation:
Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluation, and Field Studies, NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio; the Departments of Medicine and Pathology, and Laboratory Medicine and Infection Control, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, the Division of Infectious Disease, and Infection Control, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Calvin C. Linnemann Jr.
Affiliation:
Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluation, and Field Studies, NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio; the Departments of Medicine and Pathology, and Laboratory Medicine and Infection Control, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, the Division of Infectious Disease, and Infection Control, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Pei Fung Hurst
Affiliation:
Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluation, and Field Studies, NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio; the Departments of Medicine and Pathology, and Laboratory Medicine and Infection Control, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, the Division of Infectious Disease, and Infection Control, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Martin G. Myers
Affiliation:
Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluation, and Field Studies, NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio; the Departments of Medicine and Pathology, and Laboratory Medicine and Infection Control, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, the Division of Infectious Disease, and Infection Control, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
William Stringer
Affiliation:
Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluation, and Field Studies, NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio; the Departments of Medicine and Pathology, and Laboratory Medicine and Infection Control, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, the Division of Infectious Disease, and Infection Control, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Peggy Moore
Affiliation:
Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluation, and Field Studies, NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio; the Departments of Medicine and Pathology, and Laboratory Medicine and Infection Control, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, the Division of Infectious Disease, and Infection Control, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Jean Hammond
Affiliation:
Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluation, and Field Studies, NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio; the Departments of Medicine and Pathology, and Laboratory Medicine and Infection Control, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, the Division of Infectious Disease, and Infection Control, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
*
UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90024
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Abstract

To evaluate the risk to nurses of childbearing age of acquiring cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during the care of patients at high risk of the infection, 374 female hospital employees (288 nursing personnel) were interviewed and screened for antibody to CMV. Fifty-six percent of the population surveyed had antibody to CMV as measured by an immunofluorescent assay. Among nursing personnel, analysis of antibody prevalence by job title, work area, and duration of work showed no association between seropositivity and either current or past exposure to “high-risk” patients, such as infants and immunosuppressed individuals. Age, race (non-white), and the number of pregnancies reported by participants were significantly associated with the presence of antibody. Among 73 employees of a children's hospital, the prevalence of CMV antibody was 41%. This survey suggests that hospital nursing is not a major risk factor for acquiring CMV infection. However, this finding needs further evaluation in a prospective study of seroconversion rates among seronegative nurses.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 5 , Issue 11 , November 1984 , pp. 513 - 518
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1984

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