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Abstract
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is thought to be transmitted to the fetus after a primary placental infection in animals. This mode of transmission has been suggested in humans. This study was designed to determine if evidence of CMV could be found in the placenta using an in situ DNA method in women at risk for recurrent CMV. Placentas and cord blood were obtained from patients undergoing spontaneous term delivery. Placental fragments underwent in situ DNA hybridization with a probe to CMV DNA. Cord blood was tested for the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies to CMV using an ELISA assay. Four of fifty placentas demonstrated the presence of CMV DNA sequences. All were from pregnancies with anti-CMV IgG in the cord blood. Placental CMV was found in 8% of pregnancies, a number far exceeding the expected number of infected infants. This suggests that placental involvement is more common than, and may precede, fetal involvement.