HIV-positive women with cytomegalovirus likelier to pass virus that causes AIDS to infant

HIV-positive women with cytomegalovirus, or CMV, in their urine at the time of labor and delivery are more than five times likelier than HIV-positive women without CMV to transmit HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, to their infants, according to a UCLA-led study.The research also found that they are nearly 30 times likelier to transmit cytomegalovirus to their infants.Dr. Karin Nielsen, a professor of clinical pediatrics in the division of infectious diseases at theDavid Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, is the senior author of the study, which was published today in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.“The findings were surprising because prior studies in healthy pregnant women have not shown an association between CMV detection in urine, or even cervical secretions, and congenital CMV infection,” Nielsen said.UCLA HealthDr. Karin NielsenThe research also found that women who had gonorrhea when they gave birth were nearly 20 times more likely to pass CMV on to their infants. People with healthy immune systems can stave off illness from the virus, but babies infected through their mothers and people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV, can experience serious health problems.CMV can impair fetal growth, and babies born with the virus can have damage to the brain, liver, lung and spleen, as well as hearing loss. People who are otherwise healthy usually do not experience any symptoms, but it can cause fever, sore throat, fatigue and swollen glands. In pe...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news