DETECTING CYTOMEGALOVIRUS IN BREASTMILK: Towards a device for self-monitoring risks of postnatal infection

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is a major cause of morbidity worldwide especially in newborn infants. While congenital HCMV infection affects 2-5% of preterm newborns, the risk of postnatal infection particularly through breast milk is higher in this population (prevalence about 20%) since more than one mother on two is affected. Congenital and postnatal infection can lead to important clinical complications such as deafness, learning disabilities, and mental retardation during childhood. Neonatologists are squeezed in their clinical practice: either breastfeeding is favored without any milk treatment going on exposure of preterm infants to a potential infection, or milk is systematically treated by freezing or pasteurization but with deprivation of non-at-risk infants from the benefits of fresh milk. In this position paper, we propose a possible solution to differentiate milk with risk of HCMV contamination from milk without any risk. This would allow subsequent adaptation of the milk feeding strategy. Also, because the HCMV contamination peak appears 4 to 8 weeks after birth, the work we present here should lead to a device meant to be used both at hospital and at home in a self-testing manner.