Prevalence of Cytomegalovirus infection in pregnant women in Van, Turkey.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to investigate the seropositive rates of pregnant women against CMV infection and compare seroprevalence in different age groups in Van. This study aimed to investigate the seropositive rates of pregnant women against CMV infection and compare seroprevalence in different age groups in Van.
METHODS: The CMV serology results of 1665 women screened in the first trimester of pregnancy were evaluated between January 2022 and January 2024. The cohort's pregnant women were divided into three groups based on maternal age to make a comparison. Group 1 consisted of pregnant women aged 18-24, group 2 of pregnant women aged 25-35, group 3 of pregnant women over 35 years old. Categorical values were analysed by the chi-square test. A p-value <0.05 was considered statically significant.
RESULTS: The mean maternal age was 29.2±5.9 (range 18-43) years. CMV IgM was positive in 1.6%, 1.3% and 1.2% of women in group 1, group 2 and group 3 respectively. There was no significant difference in CMV IgM positive rates between age groups (p: 0.87). CMV IgG-positive women composed 95.8%, 96.3% and 97.8% of the population and it was similar among groups (p: 0.71). In our cohort 3.5% of women were seronegative and 96.5% were seropositive in CMV serology screening. CMV IgM, IgG were positive in 24 (1.4%) pregnant women CMV IgG avidity was high in 18, low in 4 and intermediate in 2 women.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that CMV seropositive rate is very high in our region and seroprevalence is similar between young and older women.