Neurodevelopment in children exposed to antenatal CMV viraemia in a high HIV prevalence area.

Evans, Ceri; Chandna, Jaya; Mutasa, Kuda; Rukobo, Sandra; Govha, Margaret; Mushayanembwa, Patience; Chasekwa, Bernard; Majo, Florence D et al. · J Infect Dis · 2026

retrospective_cohort · Level III

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Abstract

We compared neurodevelopment at age 24-months among children born to mothers with or without CMV viraemia in the third trimester of pregnancy in rural Zimbabwe, using the Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool (MDAT) for gross motor, fine motor, language and social development. Among 209 children, 49 (23%) were exposed to third trimester CMV viraemia. The mean total MDAT score was 91.0 (SD 9.4) in CMV-exposed children versus 94.1 (8.8) in CMV-unexposed children (adjusted difference -4.02 points (95% confidence interval -7.01, -1.04, P=0.008). CMV exposure in utero, without evidence of congenital infection, may impair child neurodevelopment, providing a potential antenatal intervention target.