title: Congenital cytomegalovirus infection: an obstetrician's point of view.
abstract: Maternal cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the cause of the most frequent congenital infection in America; however, pregnant women are not routinely screened. Primary CMV infection is associated with a high maternal-to-child transmission rate (40%); up to 15% of these infected neonates will be symptomatic at birth and develop permanent sequelae that usually involve the central nervous system. New interventions are now available to decrease the rate of primary maternal infection as well as to treat pregnant women with primary infection, thus decreasing the fetal and neonatal morbidity associated with this disease. Based on these data, strategies for maternal screening need to be reconsidered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Infectious Diseases.
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Soper
mesh_terms: D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000821:virology*; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis
keywords: cytomegalovirus; maternal-to-child transmission; prevention