The frequency of pregnancy and exposure to cytomegalovirus infections among women with a young child in day care

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of pregnancy and exposure to cytomegalovirus (CMV) among mothers contemplating a possible additional pregnancy and with a child less than 2 years of age in group day care. We performed a prospective observational study that included a demographic questionnaire and serologic and virologic monitoring of mothers and their children in day care. Of 60 women, 62% were seronegative and 20% had a child shedding CMV. Of the 60 women, 23 women or 38% (95% CI, 0.27-0.51) became pregnant on average 10 months after enrollment. During pregnancy, 8 or 35% (95% CI, 0.19-0.55) of these pregnant women had a child in day care who shed CMV. These results illustrate the potential magnitude of the public problem associated with exposure to a silent viral infection during pregnancy. Our data, when extrapolated to the US population, estimate that every 2 years between 31,000 and 168,000 susceptible pregnant women will be exposed to CMV by an infected child.