[Implementation of screening for cytomegalovirus congenital infection in a French type 3 maternity]

Gynecol Obstet Fertil Senol. 2024 Jun;52(6):403-409. doi: 10.1016/j.gofs.2024.01.010. Epub 2024 Jan 23.
[Article in French]

Abstract

Objectives: Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the most common congenital infection and the leading cause of infectious neurosensorial disability in newborns. We wanted to organize the management of women from the beginning of pregnancy allowing access to antenatal treatment with valaciclovir, recognized since 2020 as limiting materno-fetal transmission. To this end, we set up and evaluated the interest of systematic screening for CMV infection in our maternity. We wanted to organize care for women from the very start of pregnancy.

Methods: Retrospective and comparative descriptive study carried out at the CHRU de Limoges from July 2017 to December 2019 (targeted screening), then from January 2020 to June 2022, during which period we implemented systematized screening by iterative serologies at the 3rd, 6th, 8th months and before delivery. Our main evaluation criteria were the seroprevalence of CMV infection and the rate of congenital infection. We then described our cases of infection (primary or secondary) during pregnancy.

Results: CMV seroprevalence in our pregnant women increased significantly from 52.7% (779/1478 women screened) to 58.4% (3852/6599 women screened) between the 2 study periods (P=0.04). We diagnosed 11 infections during the first part of the study vs. 27 during the second, with a significant increase in primary infections from 0.14% (9/6524 births) to 0.37% (24/6426 births) (P=0.008). Only 3 secondary infections were diagnosed during the second study period. The rate of congenital infections remained stable between the 2 study periods (6 children/6524=0.09% vs. 8 children/6426=0.12%; P=0.57).

Conclusion: Our results confirmed the interest of screening for CMV infection, while modifying the screening strategy we had initiated.

Keywords: Congenital infection; Cytomegalovirus; Dépistage; Grossesse; Infection congénitale; Pregnancy; Screening.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cytomegalovirus / isolation & purification
  • Cytomegalovirus Infections* / congenital
  • Cytomegalovirus Infections* / diagnosis
  • Cytomegalovirus Infections* / transmission
  • Female
  • France / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical* / prevention & control
  • Mass Screening / methods
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious* / diagnosis
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious* / epidemiology
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious* / virology
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies