Seroprevalence of cytomegalovirus among healthy students at Diyala University, Diyala, Iraq

Abstract

Globally, cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an extremely common viral infection and is one of the most common causes of congenital infections. Although infection with CMV in immunocompetent individuals is self- limiting, infection in immunocompromised individuals is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Consequently, CMV establishes a latent lifetime infection that may be reactivated by changed immune status. Despite its high prevalence, the epidemiology of CMV in the general population is incompletely understood. The purpose of the present study was to assess the CMV seroprevalence in a group of male and female students at Diyala University, Diyala, Iraq during 2012. The impact of residency on the CMV seropositivity was also evaluated. In this study, 186 male and female students at Diayal University were screened for CMV IgG and IgM by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A total of 181 (97.4%) of students were seropositive for CMV IgG. Of those, 95 (51.2%) were male students and 86 (46.2%) were female students. In addition, 3 (2 females and 1 male) students (1.6%) were CMV IgM seropositive. The results showed that the CMV IgG seropositivity rate among students living in rural areas was significantly (P < 0.0001) higher than that in those living in the urban areas and that the seropositivity rates with both IgG and IgM were higher in male than in female students. In conclusion, the high seroprevalence of CMV in our group of students indicates the virus is very common in the community, especially in the rural areas of Diyala Province and that the students harbour the virus in their blood which can be potentially infectious when they donate blood.