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Use of In vivo Imaging to Monitor the Progression of Experimental Mouse Cytomegalovirus Infection in Neonates
Published on: July 6, 2013
Congenital cytomegalovirus infection: outcome and diagnosis
Shannon A Ross1, Suresh B Boppana
1Department of Pediatrics, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL 35233, USA. sross@peds.uab.edu
Insights
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common congenital infection causing neurological issues in newborns. Current diagnosis relies on cell culture, but new molecular methods show promise for detecting CMV in infants.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Infectious Diseases
- Neonatology
Background:
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common congenital infection globally.
- Congenital CMV infection affects 0.5-1% of US newborns, potentially causing severe neurological sequelae.
- CMV is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current diagnostic standards for congenital CMV infection.
- To explore emerging molecular diagnostic techniques for congenital CMV.
- To assess the potential of new methods for routine clinical use.
Main Methods:
- Review of established diagnostic protocols for congenital CMV, primarily cell culture.
- Investigation of newer molecular diagnostic approaches, such as nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) for CMV DNA in infant peripheral blood.
- Analysis of preliminary data from molecular diagnostic studies.
Main Results:
- Conventional and rapid cell culture within the first two weeks of life remain the gold standard for diagnosing congenital CMV.
- Emerging molecular diagnostic methods demonstrate promising preliminary results for detecting congenital CMV.
- Standardization and validation are required before molecular methods can be routinely implemented.
Conclusions:
- Congenital CMV infection necessitates reliable diagnostic methods for timely intervention.
- While cell culture is the current standard, molecular diagnostics offer a promising alternative for CMV detection.
- Further research is essential to validate and standardize novel molecular assays for congenital CMV diagnosis.
Abstract:
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common congenital infection in humans and an important cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised hosts. Congenital CMV infection occurs in approximately 0.5 to 1 percent of all newborns in the United States and can result in significant neurological sequelae. The gold standard for diagnosing congenital CMV infection is isolation of the virus from infants within the first 2 weeks of life through conventional or rapid cell culture techniques. Newer molecular diagnostic methods to diagnose congenital CMV infection, including the nucleic acid amplification of viral DNA from the peripheral blood of infants, are being investigated, and the preliminary results show promise. However, more work must be done to standardize and validate these methods before they can be used routinely in establishing the diagnosis of congenital CMV infection.
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