Prevalence of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection and Associated Risk of In Utero Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Acquisition in a High-HIV Prevalence Setting, South Africa

Abstract

Abstract Background There is a paucity of data on the burden of congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infections in low- and middle-income countries, including their association with maternal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. We investigated the prevalence of cCMV in a patient population with a high rate of HIV and antiretroviral therapy (ART) use during pregnancy in Soweto, Johannesburg. Methods Saliva from neonates were screened for cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) at birth. Additional saliva and urine samples were tested within 3 weeks of birth to confirm positive saliva results. HIV PCR testing was done on the whole blood of HIV-exposed neonates. Maternal and neonatal data were extracted from clinical records. Results Of 2685 neonates screened for cCMV, 828 (31%) were born to HIV-infected women, 95% of whom (790/828) were on ART at delivery. The overall prevalence of cCMV was 2.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9–3.2), with significantly higher cCMV prevalence in HIV-exposed neonates (5.2%, 95% CI 3.8–6.9) than HIV-unexposed neonates (1.4%, 95% CI 0.9–2.0). The risk of in utero HIV infection was 20-fold greater (odds ratio 20.1, 95% CI 6.09–66.46) in HIV-exposed, cCMV-infected neonates, and this increased risk was not associated with the maternal CD4+ T-cell count or the maternal duration of ART. Conclusions The prevalence of cCMV in our setting is substantially higher than the global estimate of 0.64%, partly due to the increased susceptibility for cCMV in HIV-exposed neonates. The significantly increased risk of in utero HIV infection in neonates with cCMV indicates that CMV coinfection plays a major role in the residual burden of in utero HIV transmission, even in the era of ART.