Olfactory function in congenital cytomegalovirus infection: a prospective study

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Pediatrics
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is known to cause fetal olfactory bulb lesions.
• The impact of congenital CMV on post-natal olfaction remains poorly understood.
• Neonatal clinical presentation categorizes congenital CMV into symptomatic (sCMV) and asymptomatic (aCMV) infections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess olfactory performance in children with congenital CMV infection.
• To correlate olfactory deficits with infection severity and clinical presentation.
• To investigate the long-term effects of congenital CMV on olfactory function.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 54 children (3-10 years) with PCR-confirmed congenital CMV infection.
• Olfactory discrimination was evaluated using mono-odorants and binary mixtures.
• Comparison between symptomatic CMV (sCMV) children and age/sex-matched healthy controls (CTL).

Main Results:

• Reduced olfactory scores were observed in sCMV children compared to CTL, especially in those over six years old (AUC=0.85).
• The proportion of children with significantly low olfactory scores was higher in the sCMV group (91.2%) than in the CTL group (18.7%).
• Olfactory performance was independent of vestibular deficits and hearing loss and not significantly different in asymptomatic CMV cases.

Conclusions:

• Congenital CMV infection is associated with diminished olfactory performance in children who were symptomatic at birth.
• Olfactory deficits may be a relevant consequence of symptomatic congenital CMV infection.
• Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms and long-term implications of these olfactory impairments.