Experience using recombinant interferon-alpha with taurine therapy of congenital cytomegalovirus infection in children

Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) belongs to the most frequent causes of intrauterine infection and can cause birth defects and severe manifestations of the disease fatal. In most cases the infection is latent, but there is a high risk of developing late manifestations. For the prevention of vertical transmission of CMV infection are needed early prenatal diagnosis of infection in a pregnant woman with the definition of the extent of its activity and conduct of antiviral therapy. When intravenous anti-CMV immunoglobulin observed rapid clinical efficacy. However, the titer of circulating antibodies in the child’s body is rapidly reduced, determines the duration of the protective effect of the drug to 4-5 weeks. Since the suppository form of interferon-α with taurine has been used successfully in obstetric practice, we have examined its effectiveness in the treatment of 11 outpatient children aged 1 month to 3 years with congenital CMV infection, 3 of them received specific immunoglobulin baby immediately after birth. The drug was administered rectally by prolonged scheme for 3 months 2 times a day every 12 hours within 10 days, followed by 1 suppository 2 times a day every other day (3 times a week). The therapy in all children experienced rapid resolution of symptoms CMV: normalization of the size of lymph nodes, liver and spleen, blood count, serum ALT, urinalysis, as well as the disappearance of CMV DNA in blood and IgM antibodies to CMV infection after treatment. During 12 months of follow-up episodes of reactivation of CMV infection in any of the observed child is not mentioned.