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Research Journal of Microbiology

Year: 2015 | Volume: 10 | Issue: 7 | Page No.: 336-342
DOI: 10.17311/jm.2015.336.342
Evaluation of Pregnant Women Susceptible to Cytomegalovirus Infection in Maiduguri, Nigeria
Idris Abdullahi Nasir, Yahaya Usman and Adamu Babayo

Abstract: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) screening in pregnancy has not been recommended during antenatal clinic days in Nigeria and most countries of the world. However, CMV has been widely accepted as, the viral etiology with the greatest propensity for congenital transmission. Due to CMV ubiquity, seronegative women are highly susceptible to CMV infection and thus, has increased risk of maternal infections and possibly congenital transmission. In view of this, this study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of women, who are anti-CMV IgG seronegative, thus susceptible to CMV infections. We made use of NovalisaTM anti-CMV IgG ELISA kit to screen 182 blood samples of pregnant women attending antenatal clinics of University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), Maiduguri, Nigeria. Structured questionnaire was used to collect participants’ sociodemographic data. A total of 38 out of 182 subjects were anti-CMV IgG seronegative making a seroprevalence of 20.9%. There was significant statistical association between seronegativity and subjects’ education level and history of previous blood transfusion (p<0.05) but not with age, parity, gravida and gestation age (p>0.05). Findings from our evaluation indicated that many pregnant women were anti-CMV IgG seronegative and thus susceptible to maternal CMV infections. These women have high risk of contacting primary CMV infections and might eventually pose danger to their unborn fetuses in the absence of appropriate preventive measures.

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How to cite this article
Idris Abdullahi Nasir, Yahaya Usman and Adamu Babayo, 2015. Evaluation of Pregnant Women Susceptible to Cytomegalovirus Infection in Maiduguri, Nigeria. Research Journal of Microbiology, 10: 336-342.

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