A research group led by Professor Hideto Yamada, Professor Kenji Tanimura, Professor Ichiro Morioka, and Director Toshio Minematsu of the Aisenkai Nichinan Hospital Disease Control Research Institute at Kobe University has been working on congenital cytomegalovirus infection in the fetus before birth. We have found a new method to check for the presence.
Cytomegalovirus is a pathogen that causes fetal infections and causes severe sequelae such as deafness and mental and motor developmental disorders in infants.It is estimated that 1,000 children with congenital infections are born annually in Japan as well.In recent years, it has become clear that early treatment with antiviral drugs can improve deafness and delayed mental development, but tests on all babies have not been conducted due to the enormous cost.As a more economical method, it may be more realistic to find pregnant women who are at high risk of giving birth to a child with a congenital infection before giving birth and to test the baby after giving birth.
Congenital infections commonly occur when a pregnant woman without antibodies is first infected with cytomegalovirus during pregnancy, and is an anti-cytomegalovirus immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody that diagnoses the initial infection during pregnancy. Inspection is widely used.However, the positive may persist for several years, which may cause excessive anxiety to the parties.In addition, there is an amniocentesis test as a reliable diagnostic method for fetal infection during pregnancy, but there is a risk of water rupture due to amniotic fluid puncture, intrauterine infection, miscarriage, etc.
Therefore, the research group conducted research on a method for predicting infection before birth without damaging the mother.To determine the best test method, we asked 300 pregnant women who were positive for anti-cytomegalovirus IgM antibody, interviewed, blood test of pregnant woman, ultrasonography of fetal, site in blood, urine, cervical mucus of pregnant woman. A megalovirus DNA PCR test was performed in all cases and statistical analysis was performed.
The results revealed that fetal ultrasonography and maternal cervical mucus PCR were the most useful for prenatal prediction.This is the world's first report that a viral DNA test in the mother's cervical mucus was used to predict prenatal infections of congenital infections and was useful.
All of them can be tested without damaging the mother's body, and congenital infection can be predicted by a safer and cheaper method for pregnant women suspected of being infected.In addition, since it is possible to detect children efficiently, early treatment is possible, and it is expected that the neurological prognosis of children with congenital cytomegalovirus infection will be improved.
