Cytomegalovirus infection during pregnancy with maternofetal transmission induces a proinflammatory cytokine bias in placenta and amniotic fluid.

Congenital infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV) can induce immune responses and placental damage. By use of immunoassay panels, 27 cytokines were assessed in midtrimester amniotic fluid from 8 patients with congenital CMV, in midtrimester sera from 12 pregnant women with primary CMV infection, and in amniotic fluid and serum from uninfected maternal controls. Levels of the cytokines tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 1β, interleukin 12, and interleukin 17; the chemokines CCL2, CCL4, and CXCL10; and the growth factors granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and platelet-derived growth factor bb were significantly elevated in amniotic fluid from congenital CMV patients (P < .01). Only CXCL10 was significantly higher in sera from CMV-infected pregnant women. CMV infection during pregnancy is associated with a shift in cytokine expression toward a proinflammatory state.