Infants born to HIV-positive mothers had high rates of congenital cytomegalovirus, or CMV. Infants who also were infected before birth by the virus that causes AIDS were especially prone to CMV infection.
The researchers found that 23 percent of the infants who became infected with HIV during the mother’s pregnancy also were infected with CMV; 18 percent who were infected with HIV either during pregnancy or birth acquired congenital CMV; and 4.9 percent who were exposed to HIV but remained uninfected with that virus also acquired congenital CMV.
Overall, HIV-infected infants were four times as likely to have acquired congenital cytomegalovirus infection compared to infants who were exposed to, but remained uninfected with, HIV. HIV-positive infants who were infected during the mothers’ pregnancy had a sixfold or greater chance of also acquiring congenital CMV.
Cytomegalovirus infects people of all ages. People with healthy immune systems usually do not exhibit symptoms, which include fever, sore throat, fatigue, swollen glands and, in those with weakened immune systems, more serious symptoms in the eyes, lungs, liver, esophagus and intestines. But it is also an often under-recognized cause of infant disease and illness, particularly hearing loss and developmental delay. While it is known that congenital CMV infection rates may be higher in HIV-exposed and HIV-infected infants compared to the general population, less is known about comparative risks of their acquiring congenital CMV. Few studies have explored these relationships between HIV and cytomegalovirus in low- and middle-income countries, where rates of CMV and congenital CMV are believed to be higher.
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