Infection rates of cytomegalovirus among Thai pregnant women

Abstract

Cervical swabs were collected from 185 pregnant women and urine from 50 healthy non-pregnant women in order to isolate cytomegalovirus by using tissue culture methods. Sera from the mothers and their cord blood were tested for total and classes specific IgM antibodies to cytomegalovirus by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test. CMV was recovered from 8% of pregnant women but none from the non-pregnant women. Seropositive rate for CMV total antibodies and IgM antibodies in pregnant women were 95% and 83% respectively. None of the newborn infants from virus positive mothers had positive CMV-IgM antibodies but one infant from virus-negative mother had IgM antibodies with titre 1 : 80.