Epidemiology of Cytomegalovirus among pregnant women in Africa

Introduction: Vertical transmission of Cytomegalovirus (CMV), resulting in congenital CMV (cCMV) infection could have disabling and potentially fatal effects on the foetus or neonate. Although primary infection probably has a higher risk of leading to cCMV, in highly seropositive populations, a sig...

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Main Authors: Doreen Mhandire, Sarah Rowland-Jones, Kudakwashe Mhandire, Mamadou Kaba, Collet Dandara
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries 2019-10-01
Series:Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
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Online Access:https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/11373
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author Doreen Mhandire
Sarah Rowland-Jones
Kudakwashe Mhandire
Mamadou Kaba
Collet Dandara
author_facet Doreen Mhandire
Sarah Rowland-Jones
Kudakwashe Mhandire
Mamadou Kaba
Collet Dandara
author_sort Doreen Mhandire
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Vertical transmission of Cytomegalovirus (CMV), resulting in congenital CMV (cCMV) infection could have disabling and potentially fatal effects on the foetus or neonate. Although primary infection probably has a higher risk of leading to cCMV, in highly seropositive populations, a significant risk of vertical transmission is thought to be due to CMV reactivation and or reinfection during pregnancy. In this narrative review, we summarise the prevalence of CMV infection and associated risk factors among pregnant African women, in a setting where primary CMV infection usually occurs during infancy. Methodology: A systematic search of literature published between January 2000 and January 2019, retrieved on five bibliographic databases was performed. Search for relevant articles was performed using the following keywords: cytomegalovirus, CMV, infection, antenatal infections, pregnancy, pregnant women, gravidity, developing countries and Africa, with appropriate qualifiers such as OR, AND. Results: Systematic searching retrieved 11 relevant original research papers. Prevalence of anti-CMV IgG and IgM antibodies ranged from 60-100% and 0-15.5%, respectively. Prevalence of CMV DNA ranged from 0-29%, depending on the specimen used. However, there was no geographic trend for CMV seroprevalence or CMV DNA prevalence across the African continent. Overall, a substantial percentage of women of reproductive-age were CMV seronegative and at risk of primary infection. Associations of sociodemographic factors with CMV infection were inconsistent across all reviewed studies. Conclusions: The limited data and inconsistency of findings from the few studies carried out in Africa calls for prospective studies comparing prevalence and outcomes of cCMV in infants born to women with both primary and reactivated CMV in Africa.
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spelling doaj-art-690ca3b3c23a4970a7dddec4d4475d0e2025-08-20T02:57:01ZengThe Journal of Infection in Developing CountriesJournal of Infection in Developing Countries1972-26802019-10-01131010.3855/jidc.11373Epidemiology of Cytomegalovirus among pregnant women in AfricaDoreen Mhandire0Sarah Rowland-Jones1Kudakwashe Mhandire2Mamadou Kaba3Collet Dandara4Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South AfricaNuffield Department of Medicine, Oxford University, Oxford, United KingdomDivision of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South AfricaInstitute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South AfricaDivision of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa Introduction: Vertical transmission of Cytomegalovirus (CMV), resulting in congenital CMV (cCMV) infection could have disabling and potentially fatal effects on the foetus or neonate. Although primary infection probably has a higher risk of leading to cCMV, in highly seropositive populations, a significant risk of vertical transmission is thought to be due to CMV reactivation and or reinfection during pregnancy. In this narrative review, we summarise the prevalence of CMV infection and associated risk factors among pregnant African women, in a setting where primary CMV infection usually occurs during infancy. Methodology: A systematic search of literature published between January 2000 and January 2019, retrieved on five bibliographic databases was performed. Search for relevant articles was performed using the following keywords: cytomegalovirus, CMV, infection, antenatal infections, pregnancy, pregnant women, gravidity, developing countries and Africa, with appropriate qualifiers such as OR, AND. Results: Systematic searching retrieved 11 relevant original research papers. Prevalence of anti-CMV IgG and IgM antibodies ranged from 60-100% and 0-15.5%, respectively. Prevalence of CMV DNA ranged from 0-29%, depending on the specimen used. However, there was no geographic trend for CMV seroprevalence or CMV DNA prevalence across the African continent. Overall, a substantial percentage of women of reproductive-age were CMV seronegative and at risk of primary infection. Associations of sociodemographic factors with CMV infection were inconsistent across all reviewed studies. Conclusions: The limited data and inconsistency of findings from the few studies carried out in Africa calls for prospective studies comparing prevalence and outcomes of cCMV in infants born to women with both primary and reactivated CMV in Africa. https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/11373CytomegalovirusPrevalenceRisk FactorsPregnancy
spellingShingle Doreen Mhandire
Sarah Rowland-Jones
Kudakwashe Mhandire
Mamadou Kaba
Collet Dandara
Epidemiology of Cytomegalovirus among pregnant women in Africa
Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
Cytomegalovirus
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Pregnancy
title Epidemiology of Cytomegalovirus among pregnant women in Africa
title_full Epidemiology of Cytomegalovirus among pregnant women in Africa
title_fullStr Epidemiology of Cytomegalovirus among pregnant women in Africa
title_full_unstemmed Epidemiology of Cytomegalovirus among pregnant women in Africa
title_short Epidemiology of Cytomegalovirus among pregnant women in Africa
title_sort epidemiology of cytomegalovirus among pregnant women in africa
topic Cytomegalovirus
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Pregnancy
url https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/11373
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