Diagnosis of Cytomegalovirus Infection in Neonatal and Infantile Periods Using Polymerase Chain Reaction

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The aims of present study were to document the incidence of cytomegalovirus infection in neonatal and infantile periods especially in high-risk patients of associated infection by nested PCR of DNA from leukocytes and to evaluate the effectiveness of nested PCR in the diagnosis of congenital cytomegalovirus infection. METHODS: Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral leukocytes of 204 neonates and infants during the period from June 1994 to March 1995, and nested PCR was performed. The cases were divided into six groups according to clinical profiles; Group IA-healthy fullterm babies, group IB-fullterm babies with suspected or definite perinatal infection, group IIA-healthy preterm babies, group IIB-preterm babies with suspected or definite perinatal infection, group III-infants with clinical features of viral infection and abnormal liver function tests, group IV-IgM seropositive babies with clinical evidence of cytomegalovirus infection. RESULTS: In group IA(n=70), 2 cases were positive for PCR amplification (2.9%). All of the cases in group IB(n=64), group IIA(n=15), and group IIB(n=20) were negative for cytomegalovirus infection. Only one case(3.3%) among group III(n=30) showed positive reaction, while all of the five cases(100%) in group IV(n=5) were positive. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of congenital cytomegalovirus infection in our analysis were 1.2% (2/169), and it was similar to that of western countries. Nested PCR was proved to be a both sensitive and specific diagnostic tool in the diagnosis of cytomegalovirus infection and it seems to be useful in the screening of congenital cytomegaloviral infection in the newborn period. Future analysis of samples including non-blood origin from adult women and newborns will be helpful in the epidemiologic analysis of cytomegalovius infection in this period.