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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, September 2005, p. 4713-4718, Vol. 43, No. 9
0095-1137/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.43.9.4713-4718.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Diagnosis of and Screening for Cytomegalovirus Infection in Pregnant Women

S. C. Munro,1,2,3* B. Hall,1,4 L. R. Whybin,5 L. Leader,4 P. Robertson,5 G. T. Maine,6 and W. D. Rawlinson1,2,3

Virology Division,1 Serology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, SEALS Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia,5 School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences,2 School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia,3 Royal Hospital for Women, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia,4 Core Research and Development, Abbott Laboratories Diagnostic Division, Abbott Park, Illinois6

Received 2 February 2005/ Returned for modification 14 March 2005/ Accepted 20 June 2005

No single diagnostic test for cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is currently available for pregnant women at all stages of gestation. Improved accuracy in estimating the timing of primary infections can be used to identify women at higher risk of giving birth to congenitally infected infants. A diagnostic algorithm utilizing immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgM, and IgG avidity was used to prospectively screen serum from 600 pregnant women enrolled from two groups: ≤20 weeks gestation (n = 396) or >20 weeks gestation (n = 204). PCR testing of urine and/or blood was performed on all seropositive women (n = 341). The majority (56.8%) of women were CMV IgG seropositive, with 5.5% being also CMV IgM positive. In the IgM-positive women, 1.2% had a low-avidity IgG, indicating a primary CMV infection and a high risk of intrauterine transmission. Two infants with asymptomatic CMV infection were born of mothers who had seroconverted in the second trimester of pregnancy. Baseline, age-stratified CMV serostatus was established from 1,018 blood donors. Baseline seropositivity from a blood donor population increased with age from 34.9% seroprevalence at less than 20 years of age to 72% seroprevalence at 50 years of age. Women at high risk of intrauterine transmission of CMV were identified at all stages of gestation. Women infected with CMV during late gestation may be more likely to transmit the virus, so failure to detect seroconversions in late gestation may result in failure to detect infected neonates.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Virology Division, Department of Microbiology SEALS, Prince of Wales Hospital, Barker St., Randwick, New South Wales 2031, Australia. Phone: 61-2-9562-5032 Fax: 61-2-9562-5094. E-mail: smunro{at}ctc.usyd.edu.au.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, September 2005, p. 4713-4718, Vol. 43, No. 9
0095-1137/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.43.9.4713-4718.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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  • Seale, H., MacIntyre, C. R., Gidding, H. F., Backhouse, J. L., Dwyer, D. E., Gilbert, L. (2006). National Serosurvey of Cytomegalovirus in Australia. CVI 13: 1181-1184 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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