Cytomegalovirus seroprevalence among pregnant women in the region of Rabat, Morocco: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Maternal Cytomegalovirus (CMV) during pregnancy is a major public health problem worldwide, as it is the leading cause of congenital disorders such as neurological deficiency and sensory deafness. There is no preexisting data on the seroepidemiology of CMV in pregnant women in Morocco. Therefore, we retrospectively evaluated the CMV IgG seropositive rate in 200 pregnant women in the Rabat region to determine mothers’ immune status and its distributory pattern. The sera were obtained from serum bank between January and October, 2021. Questionnaires were administered to obtain information regarding the socio-demographic and clinical data of the enrollee. Maternal CMV serology was determined, using Alinity i chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassays for IgG quantitative detection (Alinity i CMV IgG Reagent Kit/Abbott). The age range was from 17 to 46 years, with a median age of 30 years (IQR 24.8-35) and a mean gestation of 20.4±4.1 week. The seroprevalece of CMV IgG antibodies was 198 (99%), while 1% of participants were seronegative. We recorded a high endemicity of prior CMV infection in pregnant women in the Rabat region of Morocco, suggesting that most women were infected with CMV at young age. Our study estimates that the risk of congenital CMV infections is more attributable to reactivation or reinfection than primary maternal infection.