Mina Smiljkovic1, Jean-Baptiste Le Meur2, Brigitte Malette3, Isabelle Boucoiran4, Anne-Frédérique Minsart5, Valérie Lamarre6, Bruce Tapiero6, Christian Renaud7, Fatima Kakkar8. 1. Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. 2. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Université Laval, Québec, Canada. 3. Department of Microbiology, CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada. 4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada; Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada. 5. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada. 6. Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada. 7. Department of Microbiology, CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada. 8. Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada. Electronic address: fatima.kakkar@umontreal.ca.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: There is limited data on the role of cytomegalovirus (CMV) blood quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in the diagnostic workup of congenital CMV (cCMV) infection. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine if CMV blood qPCR at the time diagnosis could differentiate between symptomatic and asymptomatic infants according to the recent consensus classification. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study of children diagnosed with cCMV infection at CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Canada, between 2008 and 2016. Cases for whom qPCR was done at baseline (<4 weeks of age) alongside a complete diagnostic workup were included. The association between CMV blood viral load (VL) and clinical severity group was determined. The probability of having moderate to severe symptoms was assessed using univariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients were included in the analysis. Median VL was significantly higher among infants with moderate to severely symptomatic disease vs. those asymptomatic or asymptomatic with isolated sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) (13 736 vs. 1876 copies/ml, p = 0.004), infants with moderate to severe disease or asymptomatic with isolated SNHL vs. asymptomatic (17 736 vs. 1496 copies/ml, p < 0.001), and in infants with baseline neurological involvement vs. those without (17 317 vs. 2641 copies/ml, p = 0.03). Using logistic regression, an infant would have a >75 % probability of being moderate to severely symptomatic above 18 770 copies/ml, with a threshold of 100 000 copies/ml approaching a 100 % probability. CONCLUSIONS: Our baseline assessment of CMV blood VL suggests that that the level of CMV viremia correlates with symptom severity.
BACKGROUND: There is limited data on the role of cytomegalovirus (CMV) blood quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in the diagnostic workup of congenital CMV (cCMV) infection. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine if CMV blood qPCR at the time diagnosis could differentiate between symptomatic and asymptomatic infants according to the recent consensus classification. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study of children diagnosed with cCMV infection at CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Canada, between 2008 and 2016. Cases for whom qPCR was done at baseline (<4 weeks of age) alongside a complete diagnostic workup were included. The association between CMV blood viral load (VL) and clinical severity group was determined. The probability of having moderate to severe symptoms was assessed using univariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients were included in the analysis. Median VL was significantly higher among infants with moderate to severely symptomatic disease vs. those asymptomatic or asymptomatic with isolated sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) (13 736 vs. 1876 copies/ml, p = 0.004), infants with moderate to severe disease or asymptomatic with isolated SNHL vs. asymptomatic (17 736 vs. 1496 copies/ml, p < 0.001), and in infants with baseline neurological involvement vs. those without (17 317 vs. 2641 copies/ml, p = 0.03). Using logistic regression, an infant would have a >75 % probability of being moderate to severely symptomatic above 18 770 copies/ml, with a threshold of 100 000 copies/ml approaching a 100 % probability. CONCLUSIONS: Our baseline assessment of CMV blood VL suggests that that the level of CMV viremia correlates with symptom severity.