Primary Cytomegalovirus Infection in Pregnant Egyptian Women Confirmed by Cytomegalovirus IgG Avidity Testing

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in pregnant Egyptian women using CMV IgG avidity testing. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Suez Canal University Hospital, Ismailia, Egypt. A total of 546 pregnant women, presenting for routine antenatal screening, were tested for CMV IgG and IgM using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Sera from CMV IgM-positive women were tested by CMV IgG avidity assay. RESULTS: All the 546 pregnant women were seropositive for anti-CMV IgG. Of the 546 women, 40 (7.3%) were positive or equivocal for IgM antibodies. All sera from the 40 women (IgG+/IgM+) showed a high or intermediate CMV IgG avidity index. Of the 40 women, 23 (57.5%) were in the second or third trimesters of pregnancy and had their first-trimester blood retrieved, and the tested CMV IgG avidity assay showed a high avidity index. CONCLUSION: Women who were IgM positive had no primary CMV infection in the index pregnancy as evidenced by the high CMV IgG avidity testing.