Clinical and Microbiological Diagnosis of Nonprimary Cytomegalovirus Infection in Pregnancy With Symptomatic Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection

Abstract

Abstract Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the most common cause of congenital infection in developed countries. It is thought that symptomatic congenital CMV (cCMV) infections are produced by a primary CMV infection in the majority of the cases, but recent case series published show a similar prevalence and severity of clinical findings and long-term sequels in nonprimary and primary cCMV infection. We report a case of nonprimary CMV infection in pregnancy with fetal neurological alterations. A positive quantitative polymerase chain reaction in amniotic fluid (AF) confirmed the diagnosis of cCMV infection that triggered a voluntary termination of pregnancy. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays of AF are used to confirm a fetal cCMV infection, and the invasive amniocentesis procedure is justified when abnormalities are found in ultrasound control, although they are not validated to use in AF.