Seroprevalence and risk factors of human cytomegalovirus infection in the eastern Chinese population.

Epidemiology and clinical outcomes of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection are known to vary between countries and are associated with socio-economic background. So far, few data are available from developing countries, where the overall burden of infectious diseases is frequently higher. Therefore, we analyzed the seroprevalence in a population of 3,740 individuals selected randomly from eastern China, aiming to determine the seroprevalence of and risk factors for HCMV infection. The overall seroprevalence was 48.07%, higher in the socioeconomically developing inland districts than in the developed forelands. The seroprevalence in females (54.60%) was significantly higher than that in males (41.58%) (P < 0.001). As for profession, peasants (61.54%) and doctors (68.48%) had a higher seropositive rate than members of other professions (P < 0.0001). A significant association between seroprevalence and increasing age was identified (P < 0.05). Our study might help to identify appropriate populations on which to focus for future HCMV vaccination.