TY - JOUR
T1 - Lower prevalence of congenital cytomegalovirus infection in Portugal
T2 - possible impact of COVID-19 lockdown?
AU - Fernandez, Catarina
AU - Chasqueira, Maria Jesus
AU - Marques, Augusta
AU - Rodrigues, Lúcia
AU - Marçal, Mónica
AU - Tuna, Madalena
AU - Braz, Mónica Cró
AU - Neto, Ana Serrão
AU - Mendes, Cândida
AU - Lito, David
AU - Rocha, Paula
AU - Vasconcellos, Gabriela
AU - Menezes, Maria Favila
AU - Sousa, Maria José
AU - Nunes, Carla
AU - Paixão, Paulo
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by a research grant from Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA [IIS# 59301].
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2022/3
Y1 - 2022/3
N2 - Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most frequent cause of congenital infection all over the world. Its prevalence ranges from 0.2 to 2.2%. Transmission from children to their pregnant mothers is a well-known risk factor, particularly if they attend a childcare centre. This study aims to compare the prevalence of CMV congenital infection (CMV_CI) in Portugal (Lisbon) between two studies, performed respectively in 2019 and 2020. In the 2019 study, performed in two hospitals, we found a 0.67% CMV_CI prevalence, using a pool strategy previously tested with saliva samples. In the 2020 study, using the same pool approach in four hospitals (the previous and two additional), and based on 1277 samples, the prevalence was 0.078%. Conclusion: The close temporal coincidence with COVID-19 lockdown suggests that these measures may have had a significant impact on this reduction, although other explanations cannot be ruled-out.What is Known:• Cytomegalovirus is the leading cause of congenital infection.• Behavioural measures decrease cytomegalovirus seroconversion in pregnant women.What is New:• From 2019 to 2020 there was a significant reduction in the prevalence of congenital CMV infection.
AB - Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most frequent cause of congenital infection all over the world. Its prevalence ranges from 0.2 to 2.2%. Transmission from children to their pregnant mothers is a well-known risk factor, particularly if they attend a childcare centre. This study aims to compare the prevalence of CMV congenital infection (CMV_CI) in Portugal (Lisbon) between two studies, performed respectively in 2019 and 2020. In the 2019 study, performed in two hospitals, we found a 0.67% CMV_CI prevalence, using a pool strategy previously tested with saliva samples. In the 2020 study, using the same pool approach in four hospitals (the previous and two additional), and based on 1277 samples, the prevalence was 0.078%. Conclusion: The close temporal coincidence with COVID-19 lockdown suggests that these measures may have had a significant impact on this reduction, although other explanations cannot be ruled-out.What is Known:• Cytomegalovirus is the leading cause of congenital infection.• Behavioural measures decrease cytomegalovirus seroconversion in pregnant women.What is New:• From 2019 to 2020 there was a significant reduction in the prevalence of congenital CMV infection.
KW - CMV
KW - Congenital
KW - COVID-19
KW - Pools
KW - Screening
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85116108595&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00431-021-04271-0
DO - 10.1007/s00431-021-04271-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 34595613
AN - SCOPUS:85116108595
SN - 0340-6199
VL - 181
SP - 1259
EP - 1262
JO - European Journal Of Pediatrics
JF - European Journal Of Pediatrics
IS - 3
ER -