Cytomegalovirus infection in the first days of life: Prevalence in the South Sardinia from 2016 to 2019

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection poses a significant health risk to women of childbearing age and pregnant women and their unborn babies. Screening for CMV represents a crucial objective for Public Health, since this virus is one of the leading causes of childhood disability. CMV belongs to the Herpesviridae family and, once contracted the infection, it remains latent inside the organism for life, but it could be reactivated in case of weakening of the immune system. CMV infections are generally asymptomatic, but in immunocompromised patients, they can cause serious complications. CMV can be transmitted vertically from mother to child, as well as a primary, recurrent, or chronic infection. Maternal-fetal transmission of CMV can occur in the uterus (congenital infection), during labor or delivery (perinatal infection), or by lactation (postnatal infection) and it can cause miscarriage, intrauterine growth retardation, congenital anomalies and neonatal or postnatal pathologies of different severity. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of CMV infection in a court of newborns clinically evaluated in the South Sardinia University Hospital. METHODS/RESULTS The postnatal diagnosis of CMV infection was carried out within the first 2-3 weeks of life of the newborn through the detection of the virus from urine, blood, and saliva. From September 2016 to July 2019, a total of 297 urine samples from the Department of Neonatology of Policlinico of University of Cagliari were analyzed, and proviral DNA was obtained by GeneProof Phatogen Kit. Our results showed a notable decrease in CMV infection cases in newborns, from 24% to 4% DNA positives, estimated in the South Sardinia. CONCLUSIONS The National Institute of Health underlines that, in Italy, the prevalence of infection is among the lowest in the literature. The results shown are in line with epidemiological data on the frequency of CMV infections. Our results suggest a low prevalence in comparison with the last years in the same region.