Management of pregnancies with confirmed cytomegalovirus fetal infection

Guillaume Benoist1, Marianne Leruez-Ville, Jean François Magny

  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, GHU Necker-Enfants Malades, AP-HP, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France.

Systematic screening for cytomegalovirus (CMV) maternal infection is not recommended in most countries. Nevertheless, primary CMV infection will occur in around 1% of women. The vertical transmission rate is estimated to be around 30-50%. Newborns with congenital CMV infection remain asymptomatic in the majority of cases and around 10% will present with a wide range of abnormalities. Fetal infection can be diagnosed by amniocentesis with amplification of the viral genome in the amniotic fluid by polymerase chain reaction. This prenatal diagnosis is mainly performed when ultrasound abnormalities are observed. The purpose of this mini-review is to describe the management options when a fetus is known to be infected.

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