Prevalence of cytomegalovirus antibody in nursing personnel.

To evaluate the risk to nurses of childbearing age of acquiring cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during the care of patients at high risk of the infection, 374 female hospital employees (288 nursing personnel) were interviewed and screened for antibody to CMV. Fifty-six percent of the population surveyed had antibody to CMV as measured by an immunofluorescent assay. Among nursing personnel, analysis of antibody prevalence by job title, work area, and duration of work showed no association between seropositivity and either current or past exposure to "high-risk" patients, such as infants and immunosuppressed individuals. Age, race (non-white), and the number of pregnancies reported by participants were significantly associated with the presence of antibody. Among 73 employees of a children's hospital, the prevalence of CMV antibody was 41%. This survey suggests that hospital nursing is not a major risk factor for acquiring CMV infection. However, this finding needs further evaluation in a prospective study of seroconversion rates among seronegative nurses.