Abstract
Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection still represents the most common potentially serious viral complication in humans and is a major cause of congenital anomalies in infants. This study is aimed to detect HCMV in infants with congenital anomalies.Study subjects consisted of infants born with neural tube defect, hydrocephalus and microcephaly.Fifty serum specimens (20 males, 30 females) were collected from different hospitals in Khartoum State. The sera were investigated for cytomegalovirus specific immunoglobin M (IgM) antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and for Cytomegalovirus DNA using polymerase chain reaction (PCR).Out of the 50 sera tested, one patient’s (2%) sample showed HCMV IgM, but with no detectable DNA, other 4(8.2 %) sera were positive for HCMV DNA but with no detectable IgM.Various diagnostic techniques should be considered to evaluate HCMV disease and routine screening for HCMV should be introduced for pregnant women in this setting. It is vital to initiate further research work with many samples from different area to assess prevalence and characterize HCMV and evaluate its maternal health implications.
Highlights
Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) belongs to the Herpesviridae family and is a common cause of infection among humans
The current study aims to collect preliminary information regarding this problem in Sudan and highlight its extent and to stimulate further research to in this field in the country
Table 1. cross- tabulation between polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (IgM) results for the diagnosis of HCMV in sera samples collected from neonates with congenital anomalies in Khartoum State, Sudan, during the period from September 2014 to January 2015
Summary
Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) belongs to the Herpesviridae family and is a common cause of infection among humans. The virus undergoes periods of activity and periods of latency and, once a person has been infected, the virus remains in the host’s body indefinitely and can be reactivated due to many stress factors [1]. The virus is transmitted to fetuses via the transplacental route. The earlier the virus is transmitted to the fetus, the worst the prognosis and the greater the chance of severe malformations. Congenital HCMV is a neglected problem worldwide, both at the health care workers level and the general public level. This is being attributed to the fact that most of the infections are asymptomatic and may not be recognized at birth. Sequelae of HCMV are sometimes delayed in onset with the result that retrospective diagnosis becomes more challenging
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