Perinatal cytomegalovirus infection in very low birth weight infants.

With the improvement in the survival of very low birth weight (VLBW, birth weight less than 1500gm) infants, problems specifically related to this weight group infants have been revealed. To define the incidence, morbidity and the possible role of blood transfusion of perinatally acquired cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, 89 VLBW infants who had no evidence of congenital CMV infection were enrolled in a prospective study. 94% of the 82 infants tested had transplacental CMV IgG antibody at birth. According to the need of blood transfusion, Infants were divided into two groups: transfusion group (TF group) and nontransfusion group (NT group). Fifty two cases finished the study, thirty cases in the TF group, twenty-two cases in the NT group, and were subjected to the final analysis. Infants in this two groups were compatible in birth weight, gestational age, sex and mode of delivery. Infants in the TF group were sicker and had higher incidence of morbidity. Infants in the TF group received fresh blood from walking donors for small amount of blood transfusion. Each infant received an average of 52.3 +/- 42.6 ml blood from 2.3 +/- 1.3 donors. Ninety-five percent of the blood donors were CMV seropositive. Twenty out of the 52 (38.5%) VLBW infants developed perinatal CMV infection. Higher rate of perinatal CMV infection was found in the TF group (50.0%), comparing with the NT group (22.7%), p less than 0.05. More infants with low maternal antibodies at birth got perinatal CMV infection than infants with high maternal antibodies (47.6 vs 20%). Yet, the difference didn't reach statistical significance (p greater than 0.05, less than 0.1).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)