ISOLATION OF CYTOMEGALOVIRUS AND CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF INFECTION AT DIFFERENT AGES

In an epidemiological study of unselected hospital admissions and healthy adults in London 10% of children between 2 months and 5 years old were found to be excreting cytomegalovirus in the throat and urine, but only one excreter, aged 6 years, was detected among 575 older children and adults. In early childhood the infection is invariably chronic with prolonged virus excretion. These children often show evidence of liver damage, from which they usually recover, and many of them also undergo protracted respiratory illnesses with bronchitis and pneumonia which can resemble whooping-cough. In older age groups infection, though common, is probably subclinical in most cases, but a few adults develop cytomegalovirus mononucleosis. This seems to be more common over 30 years of age. Three out of 118 apparently healthy newborn babies were also found to be excreting cytomegalovirus. One showed evidence of mild liver dysfunction, from which he recovered. The other two were mentally retarded and one of them became microcephalic. In a separate study of 50 cases of unexplained neonatal hepatitis cytomegalovirus was isolated from two cases, rubella virus from two cases, and herpes simplex virus from one case. © 1968, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.