Scaling up Congenital CMV Screening - Validation of a qualitative real-time PCR assay for the direct detection of cCMV

Course overview

Congenital CMV (cCMV) is the leading infectious cause of childhood hearing loss globally. Furthermore, cCMV is also associated with significant morbidity such as sensorineural hearing loss, cognitive impairment, cerebral palsy, retinitis, among others. Evidence shows that early antiviral treatment is effective for limiting long-term effects in symptomatic infants. Screening for cCMV by PCR is recommended however, dried blood spots (DBS) are considered non-ideal specimens. In this webinar, we will review the clinical presentation, transmission pathways, and long-term sequelae of cCMV, as well as describe the different newborn screening strategies for early cCMV detection and intervention. Additionally, we validated a direct cCMV real-time PCR assay at our institutions and assessed different pooling strategies as a cost-savings measure and potential solution for scaling up cCMV screening or building capacity for universal screening.