• P C Niz Xavier, P Gonçalves Vieira, T de Souza Arantes, M Yano, L V Martinelli Tavares, A M Duarte Miglioli, C S Martimbianco Figueiredo, A Sousa Martins, and D Bastista Palhares.
• UFMS, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, E-mail: paulaxavier80@yahoo.com.br.
• W Indian Med J. 2015 May 7; 65 (2): 291-294.

AimTo study the frequency of congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in newborns admitted to the Division of Neonatology, using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA to detect differences in blood and urine specimens.MethodsThe study was carried out for eight months. Newborns (n = 520) hospitalized in five hospitals in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, were checked for CMV by analysing blood and urine samples.ResultsCytomegalovirus was PCR positive in 13 urine and 10 blood samples. Of the 13 positive urine patients, three (23%) had no clinical signs suggestive of CMV, and another three (23%) patients admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) had no definite findings of bacterial infection, with negative blood culture and some clinical signs consistent with CMV as cholestasis, hepatomegaly and eosinophilia. Three patients were on mechanical ventilation and showed improvement after prescription of ganciclovir. One CMV positive child progressed to death.ConclusionCytomegalovirus detection in urine was slightly more efficient than in blood, and showed better sensitivity than in serological analysis (p < 0.01) therefore, boiled urine may be a better and easier specimen tool for CMV diagnosis in neonatal infection. The findings of the present research suggest that patients admitted to the NICU, especially premature infants, whose laboratory results are not compatible with bacterial infection, and exhibiting signs suggestive of CMV infection should have PCR done on urine for confirmation.

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