Fetal and maternal humoral immune response to cytomegalovirus infection.

The relationship between cytomegalovirus titers and immunoglobulin (Ig) levels in 514 paired maternal-fetal sera at term was studied. Positive cytomegalovirus titers were found in 192 (37.4%) maternal sera and 138 (26.8%) fetal sera. Fetal sera with positive cytomegalovirus titers had decreased IgM levels, and maternal sera with positive cytomegalovirus titers had increased IgG levels. There was a negative correlation between cytomegalovirus titer level and IgM concentration in fetal serum and a positive correlation between cytomegalovirus titers levels and IgG concentration in maternal serum in individual samples. After removal of IgG from samples with cytomegalovirus positive titers by column chromatography, 17 maternal and 22 fetal sera remained cytomegalovirus positive.