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Prevalence of cytomegalovirus in France
Insights
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is rare in newborns but spreads more in children aged 1-14 years. This study isolated 30 CMV strains from children
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus that can cause serious illness in infants.
- Understanding CMV prevalence in different pediatric age groups is crucial for diagnosis and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the incidence and excretion rates of cytomegalovirus in hospitalized children of various age groups.
- To compare CMV prevalence in children with and without neurological disorders.
Main Methods:
- Urine samples were collected from 304 newborns/infants (≤1 year), 102 children (1-14 years) with neurological diseases, and 27 children (1-14 years) with other diseases.
- Cytomegalovirus isolation and identification were performed.
- Data on age, clinical presentation, and neurological status were recorded.
Main Results:
- Cytomegalovirus was isolated from 1.6% of newborns/infants, 18.6% of children with neurological diseases, and 22.2% of children with other diseases.
- CMV incidence was significantly higher in children aged 1-14 years compared to neonates.
- No significant difference in CMV excretion rates was observed between children with and without neurological disorders, though the latter group was small.
Conclusions:
- Cytomegalovirus has a low incidence in neonatal disease but a higher prevalence in older children (1-14 years).
- The study suggests CMV spreads more readily in the general pediatric population than previously thought.
- Further research with larger cohorts is needed to confirm findings in children with miscellaneous diseases.
Abstract:
Between October 1968 and February 1970, 30 strains of cytomegalovirus were isolated from the urine of children admitted to hospitals in Lyon. Three groups of children up to the age of 14 years have been investigated.The first group consisted of 304 newborns and infants up to the age of 1 year; cytomegalovirus was grown from five of these (1.6%). Among these five children, two had cerebral disorders. None of them had ever shown any sign of typical CMV infection.The second group comprised 102 children between the ages of 1 and 14 years, from a special service for neurological and mental diseases. Cytomegalovirus was grown from 19 (18.6%).The third group was 27 children also between 1 and 14 years of age, admitted to hospital for miscellaneous diseases excluding cerebral disorders; cytomegalovirus was grown from six (22.2%).It appears that cytomegalovirus has a very low incidence in neonatal disease. The virus spreads at a higher rate in children 1-14 years old. No difference has so far been shown in the excretion rates of two groups of children, one with cerebral disorders and one with other diseases, but the number of children in the last group is too small to allow definite conclusions to be drawn.