Primary cytomegalovirus infection and liver involvement in early infancy

Virus isolation and determination of serum transaminase activity in 237 patients under one year of age were undertaken to clarify the etiologic significance of primary infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV) in infancy. The rates of virus recovery from infants with liver involvement were 37% (29/78) and 42% (28/66), as determined by serum glutamic oxaloacetic (S-GOT) and serum glutamic pyruvic (S-GPT) transaminase values. In contrast, CMV was recovered from 14% (18/127) and 13% (18/141) of infants with normal S-GOT and S-GPT values. The differences in the rates of virus recovery between both groups were more pronounced in infants under three months of age, that is, 5 to 7 times higher rates in infants with liver involvement. Correlation between complement-fixing antibody and liver involvement, however, was not significant, probably because of the influence by maternal antibody. Majority of infants infected with CMV are postulated to involve liver during immediate months after onset of virus excretion.