Human cytomegalovirus infection in women of childbearing age throughout Fars Province - Iran: a population-based cohort study

Human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) has been described as an important etiological agent of intrauterine infection in women of childbearing age that causes congenital malformation. In the present study we examined 844 serum samples from women of child-bearing age for the presence of IgM and IgG antibodies against hCMV by Elisa technique. 764 out of 844 (93%) of the cases were seropositive for hCMV-IgG and 45 (5.4%) cases were seropositive for hCMV-IgM. An increase in the rate of IgG seroprevalance was associated with an increase in age and parity. The IgG seroprevalance rate was inversely proportional to increasing abortions. Intrestingly seasonal variation affected IgG seroprevalance. There was an increasing trend in IgM positivity rate with age in women less than 29 years. hCMV seroprevalence rate was higher in women from rural as compared to those of urban areas. Finally hCMV primary infections occured in 2.4 % of all pregnancis and it is estimated that up to 0.3% of all congenital disorders, through out Fars province, were due to hCMV. We suggest a role of child to mother hCMV transmission and sexual maturity as the most probable epidemiological factors of hCMV seroprevalence among women of child bearing age.