The occupational risk of cytomegalovirus infection among day-care providers.
We prospectively studied day-care providers at six day-care centers in south-eastern Iowa to determine their occupational risk for primary cytomegalovirus infection and to define epidemiologic risk factors. Ninety-six (38%) of 252 day-care providers were seropositive for cytomegalovirus by latex agglutination at entry into the study. Among 82 seronegative providers available for follow-up, seven seroconversions occurred at only two of the six participating centers, yielding an annualized seroconversion rate of 7.9%. Median time to seroconversion among these providers was 13 months. Using Kaplan-Meier estimates of risk, we determined that the overall risk of seroconversion among providers at various centers ranged from 0% to 22% by 12 months and from 0% to 40% by 16 months. Risk of cytomegalovirus acquisition by providers was independent of race, age, education, the presence of a child at home, or caring for children younger than 2 or 3 years in the day-care center. However, the risk of seroconversion among day-care providers appeared to parallel rates of cytomegalovirus excretion and acquisition among children at each center.
Murph
J R
JR
Division of General Pediatrics, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City.
Baron
J C
JC
Brown
C K
CK
Ebelhack
C L
CL
Bale
J F
JF
D000328:Adult; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007484:Iowa / Q000453:epidemiology; D007841:Latex Fixation Tests; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors