title: Screening of congenital CMV infection in saliva of neonates by PCR: report of a pilot screening study in Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a leading cause of congenital infection in neonates. Most infants with congenital CMV infection are asymptomatic at birth and not diagnosed on routine clinical examination. To identify these at-risk infants early in life, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays are done to screen large populations of newborn infants.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We carried out a pilot study to estimate the prevalence of CMV in saliva from newborns by DNA PCR assay.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was performed from January 2012 to March 2012 at a maternity hospital in the south of Tehran. All newborns aged between 1 to 14 days born at this hospital were enrolled. Saliva specimens from newborns were collected by swabbing the inside of the baby's mouth and stored at -70 degrees C until PCR processing for virus detection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six-hundred and twenty infants between 1 to 14 days of age were enrolled during the study period of two months. The PCR assay was positive for CMV in 2 newborns [0.3%]. Both of these infants were asymptomatic for congenital CMV at birth and also when followed up at three months and six months of age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings reveal that because of a low yield of positive results, screening for congenital CMV infection would not be cost-effective in Iranian neonates.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Infections Research Center, Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Mofid's Children Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fahimzad
authors.forename: Seyyed Abolfazl
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Afgeh
authors.forename: Elham
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eghbali
authors.forename: Babak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Abdinia
authors.forename: Farideh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shiva
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rahbar
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis*; D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012463:Saliva / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral