CONGENITAL AND ACQUIRED CYTOMEGALOVIRUS INFECTIONS Virological and Clinical Studies on a Swedish Infant Population

Abstract

The study included 2 clinical materials. First, the frequency of cytomegalovirus and its clinical significance were studied among 661 Swedish children < 1 yr of age admitted to a pediatric hospital. Before the age of 1 wk 4/326 (1%) children excreted virus. At 1 mo. the frequency rose to 6/52 (12%) and after this age the frequency was constant around 20-25%. Sixty per cent of infants born to immigrants were infected after 1 mo. of age. One of the 4 congenitally infected children had symptoms at birth followed by neurological sequelae. The majority of the infections acquired at birth or in early infancy seemed to be subclinical and without sequelae. Second, a retrospective investigation of 18,695 children born during a 6 yr period was performed. Two cases of virologically confirmed congenital cytomegalic inclusion disease were found. Regarding 7 microcephalic patients in the retrospective study congenital CMV-infection could be excluded in 4 cases. In the remaining 3 cases the data did not permit any conclusions regarding the etiology.