Survival of cytomegalovirus in paper diapers and saliva.

We studied the survival of human cytomegalovirus inoculated experimentally into saliva and urine-soaked paper diapers. Infectious virus could be recovered from saliva maintained at room temperature or 37 degrees C for up to 2 hours after inoculation. Cytomegalovirus survived in paper diapers for periods as long as 48 hours, with the quantity of virus in urine remaining relatively constant for the initial 12 hours. These observations provide further support for the concept that fomites may have a role in the transmission of cytomegalovirus infections.