title: Cytomegalovirus infection in pregnancy: a still complicated diagnostic problem.
abstract: The diagnostic problems linked to human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in pregnancy are many and not all have been fully defined. In long-term seropositive women there is a tacit agreement that no laboratory testing for HCMV should be carried out. In seronegative women a test for HCMV-specific IgG should be performed at least twice during the first 4 months of pregnancy, and if the seronegativity persists, further follow-up might be stopped. On the other hand, if a seropositivity appears the diagnosis of a primary HCMV infection is established and prenatal diagnosis should be offered to the mother. Finally, in the case of a pregnant woman with unknown serological status, the diagnosis of HCMV infection is a complex problem and several different questions need to be addressed. In our opinion they should be screened with a reliable IgM test (confirmed by blot if necessary) followed, in the case of positivity, by an avidity assay. Pregnant women undergoing a primary HCMV infection should be encouraged to seek prenatal diagnosis to be performed by PCR and virus isolation from amniotic fluid at the 21st to 23rd week of gestation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Division of Microbiology, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lazzarotto
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Spezzacatena
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pradelli
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Abate
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gabrielli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Varani
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Landini
mesh_terms: D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000821:virology; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D012698:Serologic Tests