Neonates with congenital Cytomegalovirus and hearing loss identified via the universal newborn hearing screening program

Congenital CMV is the most common non-genetic cause of fetal malformation in the developed world [1 –3]. It is estimated that each year ∼380 neonates in Australia and ∼3600 neonates in the USA, develop disease due to congenital CMV infection. The complications of congenital CMV infection usually extend into adulthood, causing lifelong disabilities, including sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and neurodevelopmental disability [4–6]. Approximately 10% of congenital CMV-infected neonates are born with SNHL, whereas many (∼15%) initially asymptomatic CMV-infected neonates develop hearing loss postnatally before the age of five years [1,7–10].

Source: Journal of Clinical Virology - March 15, 2018 Category: Virology Authors: William D. Rawlinson, Pamela Palasanthiran, Beverly Hall, Laila Al Yazidi, Michael J. Cannon, Carolyn Cottier, Wendy J. van Zuylen, Monica Wilkinson Source Type: research