Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Mar;96(3):e29525.
doi: 10.1002/jmv.29525.

Estimated cytomegalovirus seroprevalence in the general population of the United States and Canada

W Dana Flanders  1   2 , Cathy Lally  2 , Anne Dilley  2 , John Diaz-Decaro  3
Affiliations
Review

Estimated cytomegalovirus seroprevalence in the general population of the United States and Canada

W Dana Flanders et al. J Med Virol. 2024 Mar.

Abstract

Seroprevalence data for cytomegalovirus (CMV), a widespread virus causing lifelong infection, vary widely, and contemporary data from the United States (US) and Canada are limited. Utilizing a modeling approach based on a literature review (conducted August, 2022) of data published since 2005, we determine age-, sex-, and country-specific CMV seroprevalence in the general US and Canadian populations. Sex-specific data were extracted by age categories, and a random-effects meta-regression model was used to fit the reported data (incorporating splines for the US). Seven studies reported US CMV seroprevalence (both sexes, aged 1‒89 years); all used National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. Due to limited population-based studies, Canadian estimates were modeled using other limited country data. In both countries, modeled seroprevalence estimates increased with age and were higher in females versus males (US: 49.0% vs. 41.6% at 18‒19 years; 61.5% vs. 50.0% at 38‒39 years; Canada: 23.7% vs. 13.7% at 18‒19 years; 32.6% vs. 22.6% at 38‒39 years). Notably, by young adulthood, one-half of US and one-quarter of Canadian females have acquired CMV. The observed differences in CMV seroprevalence in the US and Canada may partially reflect variations in general population characteristics.

Keywords: CMV; congenital cytomegalovirus; cytomegalovirus; epidemiology; seroprevalence.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Congenital CMV Infection ‐ Clinical Overview. Accessed October 26, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/clinical/overview.html
    1. Manicklal S, Emery VC, Lazzarotto T, Boppana SB, Gupta RK. The “silent” global burden of congenital cytomegalovirus. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2013;26(1):86‐102. doi:10.1128/cmr.00062-12
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Cytomegalovirus (CMV). Updated August 18, 2020. Accessed August 18, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/overview.html
    1. Griffiths P, Baraniak I, Reeves M. The pathogenesis of human cytomegalovirus. J Pathol. 2015;235(2):288‐297. doi:10.1002/path.4437
    1. Emery VC, Sabin CA, Cope AV, Gor D, Hassan‐Walker AF, Griffiths PD. Application of viral‐load kinetics to identify patients who develop cytomegalovirus disease after transplantation. Lancet. 2000;355(9220):2032‐2036. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(00)02350-3

Publication types

Substances

Grants and funding