A seromolecular study to determine the prevalence of cytomegalovirus in pregnant women referred to health centers in the north of Iran

BACKGROUND AND ABJECTIVEBecause of the controversial aspects of the CMV virus during pregnancy, the present seromolecular study aimed to determine cytomegalovirus prevalence in pregnant women referred to health centers in the north of Iran.MATERIALS AND METHODSOne hundred and twenty-five pregnant women who were referred to health centers in Mazandaran province, Iran. To detect the presence of the CMV genome and specific IgM and IgG antibodies against cytomegalovirus, the conventional PCR and ELISA tests were applied respectively.RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThe result showed that ۲(۱.۶%), ۹۲(۷۳.۶%), and ۲(۱.۶%) of the cases were positive for IgM, IgG, and IgM/IgG, respectively. The PCR test results indicated that the CMV DNA was present in ۱۰ (۸%) pregnant women. Our study shows that all PCR-positive cases were negative for the IgM test. Of the ۱۰ PCR-positive samples ۳ were positive and ۱ was suspicious for the IgG test.CONCLUSIONOur study revealed that there is an urgent need for vaccination or other strategies to prevent and treat congenital CMV infection. Reducing the burden of congenital CMV infection requires global awareness. Further studies are recommended to obtain accurate estimates of the risk of congenital CMV infection.

کلیدواژه ها:

Seromolecular ، cytomegalovirus ، pregnant women ، Iran