The epidemiology of childhood cytomegalovirus infections in a large city of southern Italy.
The present study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of cytomegalovirus infections among 4,790 infants and children living in the Bari area. Serum antibodies were measured by a microneutralization test. IgM antibodies were measured with a capture immunoenzymatic test. A high incidence of maternally derived antibody was found during the first 6 months of life (92.8%). The positivity rate declined during the second 6 months (86.9%) and between 1 and 4 years (86.6%) and increased again between 4 and 7 years (89.1%), between 7 and 10 years (90.6%) and between 10 and 15 years (91.7%). IgM-specific antibodies were found at a titer of 1:30 or greater in 42 subjects (0.9%) who also exhibited neutralizing antibody titers > or = 1:256. Infection in Bari is characteristic of cytomegalovirus-endemic areas where maternally derived immunity is immediately replaced by immunity due to primary infection.
Istituto di Microbiologia Medica, Facoltà di Medicina, Università di Bari, Italy.
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Leogrande
D000293:Adolescent; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011897:Random Allocation; D012016:Reference Values
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007075:Immunoglobulin M