[Congenital cytomegalic disease. Current possibilities and prospects of prevention]

Congenital CMV infection occurs frequently as a consequence of primary maternal CMV infection during pregnancy: clinical abnormalities are present at birth or may become apparent later in about 25% of infected infants. Transmission of CMV to the fetus occurs less frequently as a consequence of CMV reactivation in immune mothers, and is rarely associated with clinical manifestations at birth or long-term sequelae. The incidence of congenital CMV infection can be reduced by avoiding primary infection during pregnancy and knowledge of the epidemiology of CMV infection allows physicians to inform pregnant women on major risk factors. Since vaccination of nonimmune women could prevent congenital disease, the development of a suitable and safe CMV vaccine would be desirable. New anti-viral agents with anti-CMV activity are expected to be lifesaving in infants with disseminated visceral disease; moreover, if safe, they could be used to treat CMV disease prenatally. If effective anti-CMV drugs were available the development of simple, rapid and inexpensive methods for the early diagnosis of congenital CMV infection would become more urgent. Instruction of parents, family doctors and all those involved in child care can improve prevention of congenital CMV infection.