Abstract
Background: The socio-economic burden associated with congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is well recognized. Nevertheless, women are neither informed nor tested for HCMV antibody, and in the absence of screening, HCMV infections proceed mostly undiagnosed during pregnancy. Methods: Knowledge has accumulated concerning both the natural history of HCMV infection and the availability of diagnostic tests. Results: Different assays for the diagnosis in the mother, fetus and newborn are well established. In addition, positive and negative predictive values of different assays for prenatal diagnosis have improved over time. Conclusions: Without an HCMV vaccine, diagnosis of primary infection in the mother and of congenital infection in the fetus/newborn are key factors for management of congenital HCMV infection.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank all the technical staff of the Servizio di Virologia for performing all the assays, and M Zavattoni and M Furione for diagnostic and counseling activities. The authors are also indebted to D Sartori for preparing the manuscript and L Kelly for checking the English.