Seroprevalence of cytomegalovirus infection in the population of Polish pregnant women

Objectives: Human cytomegalovirus is a common etiological agent of infections and is the most common cause of intrauterine infections. Due to the scale and importance of infections during pregnancy, in this study we investigated the incidence of specific IgG and IgM antibodies directed against HCMV in population of Polish pregnant women. Material and Methods: The retrospective study included 1332 pregnant women who were hospitalized at the DFMMG in Lodz between 1999 and 2009. In this group, 117 women had serological features of acute cytomegalovirus infections (study group) and 51 women were seronegative for IgG, IgM and IgA antibodies (control group). HCMV infections in pregnant women were diagnosed by serological assays (IgG, IgM, IgA, IgG avidity) and clinical symptoms. Results: Seroprevalence of CMV IgG was estimated to be 76.7% (n=985). Anti-HCMV immunoglobulin M antibodies were detected in 13% of pregnant women (n = 179). Conclusions: There was no significant correlation between the prevalence of IgG and IgM antibodies and factors such as maternal age, parity, a number of births, place of residence and marital status.