title: Immunoglobulin therapy of fetal cytomegalovirus infection occurring in the first half of pregnancy--a case-control study of the outcome in children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection early in gestation causes severe disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case patients were 32 congenitally infected children aged 1-5 years who had either hearing deficit and/or psychomotor retardation and whose mothers had a confirmed or probable primary CMV infection at ≤ 20 weeks' gestation. Control subjects were 32 congenitally infected normal children whose mothers had a confirmed primary infection at ≤ 20 weeks' gestation. Case patients and control subjects were matched by the weeks of maternal gestation (± 1 week) at the mother's infection and by the child's age (± 1 year) at evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the case patients and control subjects, the mean age was 3.0 years. The mean number of weeks of gestation at maternal infection was 11 weeks. The only risk factor for an affected child was the mother not receiving immunoglobulin (P = .001). Of the 32 case patients, only 4 mothers received CMV immunoglobulin, compared with 27 of the 32 mothers of control infants (adjusted odds ratio, 14 [95% confidence interval, 1.7-110]). The rate of both psychomotor retardation and hearing deficit decreased with immunoglobulin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results support the efficacy of immunoglobulins for decreasing the severity of disabilities caused by fetal CMV infection after a primary maternal infection during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Maternal-Infant Department, University and San Salvatore Hospital of L'Aquila, Italy. nigrogio@libero.it
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nigro
authors.forename: Stuart P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.forename: Giustino
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Parruti
authors.forename: Maurizio M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Anceschi
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Coclite
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pezone
authors.forename: Gian Carlo
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Di Renzo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003587:Cytomegalovirus; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007223:Infant; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011596:Psychomotor Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007136:Immunoglobulins