title: Testing for Cytomegalovirus in Pregnancy.
abstract: Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection represents a relevant cause of deafness and neurological damage in newborns. Intrauterine CMV transmission might result after primary or nonprimary infections, though at different rates (30% versus 0.2%, respectively). At present, a prenatal diagnosis of CMV infection is based mainly on maternal serology, the detection of CMV-DNA in amniotic fluid and fetal blood, and ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Recent evidences suggest that congenital CMV infection may be an immune-mediated disease and that evaluation of humoral and especially T-cell immunities may improve the overall prenatal diagnosis. This review summarizes the most recent advancements in the diagnosis of maternal and prenatal CMV infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Alda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saldan
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Forner
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mengoli
authors.affiliation: Padua Reference Center for Infections in Pregnancy, Padua General Hospital, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gussetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Palù
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy davide.abate@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Abate
mesh_terms: D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis*
keywords: CMV-ELISPOT; CMV-QuantiFERON; IgG avidity; congenital infections; human cytomegalovirus; imaging; immunoserology; laboratory assays