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. 2021 Sep 1;40(9):838-845.
doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000003205.

The Limitations of Cytomegalovirus DNA Detection in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Newborn Infants With Congenital CMV Infection: A Tertiary Care Neonatal Center Experience

Justyna Czech-Kowalska  1 , Dominika Jedlińska-Pijanowska  1 , Beata Kasztelewicz  2 , Magdalena Kłodzińska  1   2   3 , Aleksandra Pietrzyk  1 , Eliza Sarkaria  1 , Dorota Dunin-Wąsowicz  3 , Kinga Gradowska  1 , Anna Niezgoda  1 , Dariusz Gruszfeld  1 , Anna Dobrzańska  1
Affiliations

The Limitations of Cytomegalovirus DNA Detection in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Newborn Infants With Congenital CMV Infection: A Tertiary Care Neonatal Center Experience

Justyna Czech-Kowalska et al. Pediatr Infect Dis J. .

Abstract

Background: Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection of the central nervous system (CNS) can cause ventriculomegaly, gliosis, calcifications and cortical defects. Detection of CMV DNA in cerebrospinal fluid by PCR (CSF-CMV-PCR) is a marker of CNS involvement.

Objective: To evaluate a diagnostic value of the positive CSF-CMV-PCR in cCMV.

Methods: Analysis of clinical, laboratory, neuroimaging and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) data according to the results of CSF-CMV-PCR were performed in infants with cCMV.

Results: A total of 168 infants were included; 145 (86.3%) had negative and 23 (13.7%) had positive CSF-CMV-PCR results. Associations between the positive CSF-CMV-PCR results and prematurity (odds ratio [OR] = 3.24; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.30-8.07), microcephaly (OR = 5.67; 95% CI: 2.08-15.41), seizures (OR = 4.15; 95% CI: 1.10-15.67), sensorineural hearing loss (OR = 6.6; 95% CI: 2.49-17.46), splenomegaly (OR = 8.13; 95% CI: 3.12-21.16), hepatitis (OR = 10.51; 95% CI: 3.31-33.35), petechiae (OR = 10.21; 95% CI: 3.78-27.57) and heterozygous T/C genotype at TLR4rs4986791 (OR = 7.88; 95% CI: 1.55-40.12) were observed. When using a multivariate logistic regression analysis, only the presence of severe sensorineural hearing loss (OR = 7.18; 95% CI: 1.75-29.34, P = 0.006), cystic lesions on MRI (OR 5.29; 95% CI: 1.31-21.36, P = 0.02), and calcifications on MRI (OR = 7.19; 95% CI: 1.67-30.97, P = 0.008) remained as the significant independent predictors of the positive CSF-CMV-PCR results.

Conclusions: The detection of CMV DNA in CSF is associated with a higher rate of CNS damage including abnormal MRI neuroimaging and severe hearing loss. Therefore, detection of CMV DNA in CSF may be considered as a marker of severe CNS injury in cCMV infection. However, the very low prevalence of the positive CSF-CMV-PCR results, even in infants with proven CNS involvement, may imply its limited role in clinical practice.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

References

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