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Review
. 2017 Jul 12;91(15):e02392-16.
doi: 10.1128/JVI.02392-16. Print 2017 Aug 1.

Congenital Human Cytomegalovirus Infection and the Enigma of Maternal Immunity

William J Britt  1
Affiliations
Review

Congenital Human Cytomegalovirus Infection and the Enigma of Maternal Immunity

William J Britt. J Virol. .

Abstract

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the most common viral infection acquired by the developing human fetus and can result in damage to the developing central nervous system. Although vaccine development to modify this congenital infection is ongoing, the unique epidemiology of maternal HCMV infections appears discordant with strategies for vaccine development. Several characteristics of congenital HCMV infections suggest that the efficacy of vaccines designed to induce responses similar to those that follow natural infection will be limited.

Keywords: congenital viral infection; human cytomegalovirus infection.

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Figures

FIG 1
FIG 1
Estimated rates of HCMV intrauterine transmission as a function of maternal infection (seroconversion) in nonimmune women (primary infections) and reinfection (seroconversions) in immune women (nonprimary infections). Several possible seroconversion rates in immune women are shown, with transmission rates calculated based on the prevalence of congenitally infected infants from seroimmune maternal populations.
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