Cytomegalovirus Infection: An Indian Perspective

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) poses an important public health problem as it may cause serious morbidity and mortality in congenitally infected newborns and immunocompromised patients, most notably transplant recipients and HIV-infected persons. It is probably one of the most common infections known to humans and is characterized by a self-limiting infection in healthy individuals. CMV infection is the single most frequent cause of infectious complications in the early period following kidney transplantation Post-transfusion cytomegalovirus infection is of concern in the immunocompetent as well as in certain categories of immunocompromised individuals such as neonates, pregnant women, recipients of bone marrow and other organ transplants and individuals with immunodeficiency disorders. The emergence of AIDS in India has necessitated the establishment of reliable tests for diagnosis of cytomegalovirus infection as a damaged immune system permits cytomegalovirus reactivation. The magnitude of this problem in India and the various diagnostic modalities used have not been adequately investigated and, hence, CMV infection is still a major health problem warranting strong preventive measures. The ultimate goal of the prevention program is to develop a vaccine that can be administered to seronegative women of childbearing age to prevent primary infection during pregnancy.