2331. Seroprevalence of Cytomegalovirus in Pregnant Women and Birth Prevalence of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection in Henan Province, China

Abstract

BackgroundCongenital cytomegalovirus infection (cCMVi) is the leading viral cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities in newborns. The epidemiology of cCMVi in settings with high cytomegalovirus (CMV) seroprevalence, such as China, is not well studied. This study sought to describe maternal CMV seroprevalence and cCMVi prevalence at birth in Henan Province, China.MethodsA multicenter prospective cohort study was conducted in three counties of Henan Province in China from June 2015 through May 2018. Pregnant women were enrolled early in pregnancy and followed up through delivery. Serum specimens were collected at enrollment for CMV immunoglobulin G serological testing. Saliva and urine specimens were collected in newborns within 72 hours after birth and tested with real-time polymerase chain reaction for CMV DNA. cCMVi was defined as CMV DNA positive in the infants’ urine or saliva specimens.ResultsA total of 6327 pregnant women underwent CMV serological testing and 6062 were CMV seropositive (95.8%). The maternal age was 26.8 ± 4.3 (mean ± SD) years. There were 49 (0.7%) newborns identified with cCMVi among 6705 newborns screened. Lower maternal education level (middle school or lower), younger maternal age (<25 years) and twin-pregnancy were associated with higher cCMVi prevalence (P = 0.04, 0.016, and 0.001, respectively).ConclusionDespite a high maternal CMV seroprevalence in this large cohort study from China, the birth prevalence of cCMVi is similar to other studies in settings of high and medium CMV seroprevalence. In settings of high maternal CMV seroprevalence, additional research is needed to ascertain the relative contribution of non-primary CMV infections during pregnancy to congenital transmission.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.